He had no idea  SasuFemNaru
by xXHaneliXx
Summary: "This bond is useless!" Sasuke had no idea how his betrayal affected a certain blonde, how it changed her. But he chose revenge. Then why was the pain in his chest getting worse? And what will Naruto do when Sakura abandons her, too? SasuFemNaru
1. Chapter 1

**The author says:** Hello and thanks for reading my story! I have to say a few words regarding this story. I had the idea to write the same story only with different pairings. So there is a boyxboy version of the story 'He had no idea' with the pairing SasuNaruSasu and a boyxgirl version with the pairing SasuFemNaru. You are now reading the non-yaoi version (as the title says 'SasuFemNaru'). If you want to check out the other version, too, please visit my profile. There's also a disclaimer, concerning this story.

Have fun reading ;)

**I don't own Naruto.**

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><p><strong>'He had no idea'<strong>

**Chapter 1**

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><p><em><strong>He wondered how she'd take it when he said goodbye<strong>_

_**Thought she might do some cryin', lose some sleep at night**_

_**But he had no idea, when he hit the road**_

_**That without him in her life, she'd let herself go**_

**- 'She'd let herself go' by George Strait**

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><p>The first thing she noticed when she came to, was the tell-tale smell of disinfectant mixed with the typical metallic smell of blood. Too often had she smelled the typical fragrance of her own blood, to not recognize it now. Her eyes were still closed. Carefully she felt inside, assessing her own body, searching for broken bones, torn flesh or any other signs of severe injuries.<p>

There was a hollow pain in her chest; a dull, pulsating ache, making her breath coming laboured. Her right hand shot up and clenched the thin fabric covering her chest; _probably a hospital gown._ Her fist pressed firmly against her breast bone, just above her heart, willing the feeling to go away. Her beautiful face contorted in evident pain. Full lips were pressed into a thin, hard line, teeth gritting together; eyes shut fiercely, to the point that wrinkles formed at the corner of them; the fingers of her left hand gripped the sheets forcefully, knuckles turning white.

An unintentional sob worked itself up her throat, choking her. A pitiful moan escaped her lips, making her wince, as she realized it was her own voice. The girl allowed herself a moment of pain, when the feeling in her chest spread throughout her body; numbing her arms, her fingers, reaching her legs, numbing every toe. The feeling took over, until she felt wetness on her scarred cheeks.

Writhing in pain on the uncomfortable hospital mattress, she tried to relax, forcing herself to push the pain back into her chest, confining it, making sure it wouldn't consume her. After all, she was used to this feeling.

Slowly, her breathing became less strained. The wrinkles on her face softened.

The girl opened her eyes hesitantly, blinking against the bright light. Rays of sunlight were illuminating the white hospital room. She turned her head towards the windows, facing the sun. It had been raining the last time she had been outside.

Her memories came back to her now, overwhelming her for a moment. She gasped as she realized it all had been real, too real. The feeling in her chest intensified. The clenched fist over her heart tightened. _No_, she pleaded silently, _Sasuke!_

She must have whispered the name of her formerly best friend aloud, because she heard feet shuffling nervously at the end of her bed. Her head turned sharply away from the window, now facing the people standing in her room. That she had not sensed them earlier was proof enough of her inner distress. Warily, she pushed herself to a sitting position, regarding the people in front of her with her ocean blue eyes.

"Naruto?" Tsunade addressed her softly. The Godaime Hokage had worry written all over her usually slightly grumpy face. "Do you remember what happened?"

Next to the Hokage stood Naruto's sensei, Hatake Kakashi. His one visible eye was focused on his charge for once, instead of his ever present orange porn book. The mask on his face made it hard for people to read the lazy jounin, but Naruto could tell that he was worried as well.

The sound of her hoarse voice shocked her, when she answered, "I do remember, baa-chan." She swallowed, her throat was dry. "Everything," she added bitterly.

_Naruto and Sasuke were facing each other in the Valley of the End. They had been fighting for some time already and the landscape had taken severe damage; as had both of their chakra supplies. Both were bleeding from several wounds and their energy was depleting steadily. Sasuke was in his cursed-seal form. Naruto had been disappointed when she saw him using the evil power Orochimaru had given him. The words that left his mouth made her cringe._

"_Why are you doing this, Sasuke? Please, just come back to Konoha with me – come home with me!" Naruto's voice cried out to him; she sounded a little shaky. The use of the Kyuubi's chakra was affecting her greatly. Never before had she used the demon's chakra to this extent – and now she was willingly doing so. But she would do everything in her power to save the Uchiha._

_His eyes were a blazing red from his activated sharingan. The markings of the cursed seal were moving over his body. Naruto hoped that he would soon reach his limit. This fight was taking its toll on her, she didn't know how much longer she would last. _I can't fail here, _she thought determinedly. _I have to bring him home... or else...

_Sasuke gave a mocking nod. His arms spread in a gesture of incredulity. "Why I am doing this? You're seriously asking me this, Naruto? This once again proves what a dobe you really are, dobe!"_

_Naruto gave no reaction to his usual insult. His red eyes focused on her._

"_You are like poison," the raven forced out. "Your smiles are like stabs in my chest, Naruto! You slowly poisoned me with your cheery attitude and those blue eyes of yours! I know what I have to do! The only bond I can ever have is the bond of hatred with my brother, it's the only way to avenge my clan! But you..." the boy spat snidely, "you wormed your way into my heart! I felt my resolve weakening and all because of _you_! You made me believe that the bond we have is all I need to be strong! But you're wrong, Naruto! There's only space for one bond and you always knew of my ambition! You purposefully led me astray from my path –"_

"_Hatred doesn't make you strong, Sasu –" Naruto interrupted him._

"_I need to kill my brother, Naruto, and you will not stop me now! It's the only way and therefore I have to kill you! I must sever our bond. You have become my closest friend, Naruto. You are my _weakness_, my _only_ weakness. You hinder me from gaining true power!"_

"_Your only weakness is your hatred, Sasuke! Please, don't leave me! What is it that I have to do to make you to stay?" her voice pleaded. Her mind was unable to accept his harsh words. Kill her? She __needed to find a way to make him stay. She never wanted to fight him in the first place._

_Her too-blue eyes were mocking him, glistening with unshed tears._

_Naruto felt the situation slipping out of her hands with every word he spoke._

_The Uchiha snorted. "Dobe, that's easy. All you have to do, is _die_." He was regarding her coolly. "You and your stupid belief in the power of bonds. What is it you are fighting for?"_

"_How can you want to kill me, you said it yourself. I'm your closest friend! I –"_

"_Answer my question, dobe! What is it, you are fighting for?" he harshly cut her off._

"_You know what I'm fighting for, Sasuke. Keeping my precious people save, it's what makes one truly strong!"_

"– _then why aren't you able to defeat me, dobe? This is ridiculous! How is _this _supposed to help me kill my brother? You are my only precious person, Naruto. Why am I not strong, then? This bond is useless! All it does is holding me back! _You _are holding me back! You are a liability, dobe!"_

_The blonde's tears were running freely now. "Sasuke, please don't do this! Don't leave me!"_

"_Look at yourself now, dobe! You sound like that weakling Sakura! You're pathetic, you disgust me!" Sasuke's snarl was deeply hurting her feelings. He had been the only one to ever acknowledge her. Without him, she would still be lonely. If he left her, she would be lonely again. There would be no one to ease the pain created by the hatred of the villagers. No one she could turn to for help, if she was not getting a new jutsu down._

_His silent presence over the years had comforted her whenever the hollow pain in her chest tried to overwhelm her. She remembered the first six years of her life only too well; the time before she had known Sasuke. These six years had been filled with solitude and despair. A six-year-old child could only take so much. She had been close to the point of mentally breaking, when she had been enrolled in the academy. Sure, she had made some friends; Kiba, Shikamaru and Chouji. But to none of them had she developed the kind of deep heartfelt bond she and Sasuke shared. She wouldn't accept this! She just needed to explain herself!_

"_I'll be alone again, if you leave me! I don't want to be alone again, please –" she tried._

"_Alone? I've been alone as well, dobe."_

"_Sasuke, I knew you were always alone. I… I used to be glad I found you, someone like me. I was... happy. From first glance, I wanted to know you… But… it wasn't that simple. You could do anything. You were always so popular with all your fangirls and the people praising you as the last Uchiha." She stopped to sigh._

"_We're different, you and I. I was frustrated when you hardly reacted to my attempts of becoming your friend and I decided you were my rival! I had to beat you… especially what with everyone calling me a loser, a dobe." She winced slightly at her own words._

"_Then they threw us together in cell number seven, and I couldn't be more happy. Stubborn as I was… I never let on what I really felt. Truth was, I wanted to be just like you. You were my idol. And so… hearing that you wanted to fight me too, during the Chunin Exams… I was never happier." A smile proved her words to be nothing but the truth._

"_With those words, for the first time… you acknowledged I was good. And… yes, without even trading blows… without saying a word, I knew right then and there… we were friends. You don't show it openly, but I know... the small gestures, they mean so much to me. You have no idea, what they mean to me! It's not insignificant to me, you're… my closest friend. And yet… here you are, intent on _killing _me. So I don't know what to believe any more. Did you ever mean what you said, __the way you acted towards me when no one was looking?"_

_Her blue eyes dared him to deny it. "Do you mean it when you say I'm your closest friend? Or am I deluding myself? That would make me so stupid, Sasuke... You're probably right. After all I'm just the stupid dobe everyone thinks I am... _you _think I am." (1) _

_The addressed boy could only stare at the crying girl in front of him. His sharingan had unknowingly deactivated somewhere during her speech. He was used to Naruto talking a lot, but never had her words touched him like that. He felt his chest tighten. Warmth was slowly spreading throughout his body. _What is this feeling?_ he wondered. _Why are her words affecting me like this?

_Hesitantly he took a step closer to the girl he called his closest friend. Deep down he felt the urge to... _to hug her and comfort her? _His head snapped to focus on her face. He could see hope sparkling in them. _Is she hoping her little talk convinced me? _He stopped dead in his steps. _

_Realization hit him. "You're doing it again!" He pointed at her accusingly._

_Confusion crossed over Naruto's face. She had hoped he would come to her now and tell her that he was sorry and he'd come back with her. _How naïve. _"I didn't do anythi –"_

"_The hell you didn't!" His sharingan activated anew in his anger. "Those feelings you create –" he hit his own chest with a clenched fist, " –they make me forget! They make me think I need you!" He shook his head in disbelief and anger. "I even thought about _comforting _you!"_

"_I won't give you the chance to influence me again! I don't know how you do it, but you won't replace my hatred with this warm feeling!" He was yelling once again. His face contorted in rage. _

_He drew on the power of the cursed seal. Naruto watched in horror as his skin turned grey. Hand-like wings sprouted from between his shoulders, ripping his shirt. His hair grew and took on a bluish-grey colour._

_Naruto's eyes widened when she felt the immense increase in his chakra. _So this is Orochimaru's power, huh, _she marvelled. She had only one way to counter this power. She needed to draw on the Nine-tails's chakra – again. But she'd do anything to stop Sasuke. He was intending to kill her, she couldn't hesitate now._

_She felt deep inside herself, silently ordering the Kyuubi to giver her his chakra. Immediately she felt the evil power surge through her. Apparently, the fox had also realized the seriousness of the moment and was practically throwing his chakra at her. Overwhelmed by power and the evil intent of the fox, she staggered for a second._

_The red chakra manifested. Now it was Sasuke's turn to stare. Although Naruto had used the evil chakra in their fight before, the power leaking from her was twice – maybe even thrice – as powerful as before. _What is this chakra? _He took in her changing appearance. The whisker marks on her cheeks deepened and widened, her already pretty sharp canines became more pointed. Her fingernails lengthened to claws. But what shocked him most was the change of the eyes he secretly loved so much. Blue bled to a deep red and her pupils became slitted. The sunny blonde suddenly looked feral._

_He shrugged off his silent amazement and gathered his chakra. Blue lightning formed in his hand, creating the sound of thousand birds – Chidori._

_Naruto quickly formed a shadow clone. Together they formed a blue spiralling sphere – Rasengan._

_The shadow clone dispelled._

_Naruto focused on Sasuke. Her slitted eyes were hard now. The time for talking was over. She had failed to persuade him with words. She obviously had to defeat him and drag him back to Konoha._

_Sasuke charged and jumped. Naruto followed. Their attacks clashed. All Naruto remembered was the building energy. And then – blackness._

_She didn't know how long it took for her to gain consciousness, but the heavy rain woke her. Immediately she gasped. Breathing was unnaturally hard. It felt like not enough air was reaching her lungs. Greedily drawing on air, she choked as blood filled her mouth. Coughs shook her body._

_Only then did she feel the pain. Pain of a kind she had never felt before. A hand reached up to her chest, intending to claw at the fabric, trying to pull away anything that might constrict her chest – but grabbed _nothing. _There was a hole in her chest. A _hole. _Sasuke's chidori had pierced her thorax only a hair's breadth over her heart._

He really tried to kill me_, she thought. The unmeasurable pain in her chest became too much to bear. Deep inside herself, something shattered as the realization of Sasuke's betrayal fully reached her mind. She willingly gave in to the blackness that swallowed her again._

Next thing Naruto remembered was coming out of the ER. By the time Kakashi had reached her and brought her back to Konoha, the Kyuubi had almost completely healed her wounds. Tsunade still insisted on performing surgery on her, though. After waking up, she had delivered her report in a monotone. No emotion crossed her face. Tsunade had finally decided to give her a tranquillizer. She had just come to mere moments ago.

"Naru?" Kakashi's gentle question brought her back to reality. The two adults had seen the anguish on Naruto's face, while she was obviously recalling the events responsible for her current condition.

She shrugged the memory off with an effort. A lump built in her throat. She swallowed. It wouldn't go away. She tried to concentrate on something else. "How long have I been out?"

"Three days," Tsunade answered her. Her eyes were still fixed on her small form in the hospital bed. "Your wounds have healed, but for some unknown reason I couldn't heal the scar over your heart," Tsunade went on. "It feels, as if Kyuubi was messing with it. I wonder why he didn't heal it himself, though." She put two fingers under her chin in her usual thinking pose.

Naruto paused at this information. Why was Kyuubi messing with her healing? Normally, the demon would heal her completely. Maybe it was meant as a punishment, because she had used such a huge amount of his chakra? She shook her head again, there were more important things she had to deal with. _Sasuke_, the name crossed her mind unbiddenly. The pain in her chest suddenly doubled. She gasped. Her hand clawed at the poor hospital gown.

_He really tried to kill me, _her thoughts were racing. _But he said I was his closest friend. How could he do this to me? _She thought about his words.

/_This bond is useless! All it does is holding me back! _You _are holding me back! You are a liability, dobe!/_

Was it really her fault? Maybe if she hadn't tried to befriend Sasuke, he would've become stronger? He wouldn't have felt the need to leave Konoha. He would've stayed and become powerful. She had slowed him down. Her asking him for help had kept him from training. She shouldn't have bugged him with her problems. She had been selfish to think that he'd always help her. And she was so stupid. It had taken so much time. He always needed to explain it several times before she understood him. People always said he was a prodigy. She had held him back, she realized.

/_Look at yourself now, dobe! You're pathetic, you disgust me!/_

She was weak, pathetic. She had not been strong enough to get him back. She had failed. _I really __am weak, huh, teme? _she thought bitterly. _I'm sorry, Sasuke. I can see it clearly now. This bond only helped me. I was too afraid of being alone that I forgot to ask if you actually wanted me to be your friend._

_/You have become my closest friend, Naruto. You are my only precious person, Naruto./_

_Why would he say this then? Was it a lie?_

/_You are my _weakness_, my only weakness. You hinder me from gaining true power./_

_I hindered him._ Maybe he had meant it; that she was his closest friend. But his words lost their meaning as soon as he had tried to kill her. As the chidori pierced her chest. But he had missed her heart... Sasuke never missed his aim. _Did he reconsider? Maybe he was aiming for my heart but changed his direction on purpose in the last second? _she pondered, desperately searching for a way to minimize the extent of his betrayal. But deep within, she knew she was deluding herself.

Her best friend _had _put a chidori through her chest. He _had _aimed to _kill her._ To sever their bond.

And it was all her fault.

Naruto's breath accelerated. She was hyperventilating. The fist on her chest gripped the fabric even tighter, trying to ease the increasing pain in her chest. Her head felt funny, she needed more oxygen.

"She's having a panic attack!" Tsunade alerted Kakashi. Naruto was not even aware of their voices.

Tsunade ordered Kakashi to "Try calm her down!" while she raced out the door to get something to sedate the girl.

Naruto hardly felt her sensei's arms pulling her against his broad chest; how he patted her back and stroked her soft hair soothingly. She faintly heard the whispered words of encouragement. Sobs were violently shaking her. Kakashi winced as he heard the whispered words that left Naruto's mouth like a mantra. _"He tried to kill me he tried to kill me he tried to kill me he..."_

"Sh, Naru, he won't kill you. I promise!" the grey haired jounin spoke softly into her ear.

Kakashi didn't know whether it were his words of reassurance or rather the lack of oxygen that made the girl stop. But she quietly fell asleep, before Tsunade came back with the tranquillizer.

_He already did kill me, _were the girl's last thoughts before she passed out.

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><p>In an underground lair, far away from Konoha, Sasuke sat on the bed of his cell of a room. Orochimaru had welcomed him personally and congratulated him for his decision. His training would begin in three days when his wounds had healed. The wounds, which the dobe had caused.<p>

The raven ran a weary hand over his eyes. He was exhausted. If Kabuto hadn't reached him, he doubted that he had gotten to the lair on his own.

_Naruto... _she had been so strong. He had to silently admit it. The girl had surprised him. The red chakra that had leaked out of her had amazed him. He had had no idea that this kind of power was sleeping inside of the blonde. _What is your secret, dobe?_

_After their attacks had clashed, Sasuke found himself kneeling above her. Their foreheads almost touching. He couldn't hear her breathing. That was good, right? He wanted her dead!_

_But why did his chest feel like it was on fire? The normally hollow ache of loneliness was raging in his chest. He had killed her! He should be happy! But what was this feeling? He had the inkling that he had felt it before... But when? He couldn't remember._

_He tried to crawl closer to the blonde. As if in slow motion, his headband with the Leaf insignia fell from him. His eyes caught the scratch that neatly cut the leaf in half. Unwillingly, he felt himself smirk. _You actually did it, dobe. You scratched my forehead.

_The smirk left his face as soon as the first drops of heavy rain hit his bruised skin. The rain reminded him of the time that had passed. He had to leave before back-up arrived!_

_But first he had to check on the dobe. His fingers were shaking terribly as he placed them on the side of her throat, above her carotid. He felt for the pulse, inwardly begging his fingers to give him a reassuring pulsation. But there was none._

I killed her. _The ache in his chest exploded to new heights. He would have passed out then and there, if not for his sudden urge to get away from the corpse of his formerly closest friend. He could no longer stay here. He had killed her._

He remembered the feeling as his chidori connected with Naruto's skin. Bony ribs gave in, breaking under the power of his attack. He felt his hand gliding through the soft tissue of Naruto's lung. Again ribs and then – nothing. His hand had punched a hole through her thorax.

Sasuke forced himself out of the memory. Slowly, his racing thoughts calmed down. He didn't know why he had thought that the dobe was dead. But he had proof that she wasn't. His Mangekyou Sharingan hadn't activated. He had not killed her.

The hot feeling that followed his realization, eased the pain in his chest a little. What was it? _Relief..._ he understood. With that last thought, Sasuke fell back on his bed, asleep before his head even touched the pillow.

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><p>Sasuke had no idea that the pain in his chest was the same kind of pain, he had felt several years ago, when he had stumbled upon a scene he'd never forget. It was the night of the Uchiha massacre. Seeing his brother standing over his dead parents, comprehending that his beloved aniki had murdered everyone that was dear to him – from that day on there was a pain in his chest. It became dull over the years, but still was his eternal companion.<p>

The boy had no idea that the only time his chest felt lighter and not as cramped, was when he was around a certain blonde girl.

And he had no idea that the girl felt the same.

And although Sasuke now knew that he had not succeeded in killing her, he was probably lucky that he had no idea that his actions and his hateful words were the so-called tip of the iceberg. He had no idea that his words had brought Naruto closer to the edge of insanity as ever before. It was a tightrope walk. All it would need was the tiniest push, and she'd fall over the edge.

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><p><em>(1) this is what Naruto actually said to Sasuke, I just modified it to fit the flow of the story (Ch. 227 &amp; 228)<em>

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it so far!<strong>

**Please let me know what you think! Criticism is much appreciated! Only way to improve my writing ;) and please feel free to correct any mistakes! This is my first fanfic, after all!**

_**xXHaneliXx**_


	2. Chapter 2

**The author says: **Thanks a lot to my first reviewers, **ScourgeFan22, Crimson Fire234, howlingwindofthestorm and ****Narutogril103!** Great to know that you guys like the story so far! Good motivation!

And as you might know, there's also the SasuNaruSasu version of this story, but surprisingly the SasuFemNaru version got more attention!

This is chapter 2 which I actually had to divide into two chapters becaue it was way too long...

Have fun reading and again feel free to review ;)

**I don't own Naruto.**

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><p><strong>'He had no idea – SasuFemNaru'<strong>

**Chapter 2**

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><p><em><strong>Don't know where she belongs, where she belongs<br>She wants to go home, but nobody's home  
>It's where she lies, broken inside<br>With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes  
>Broken inside<strong>_

_**Her feelings she hides.  
>Her dreams she can't find.<br>She's losing her mind.  
>She's fallen behind.<br>She can't find her place.  
>She's losing her faith.<br>She's fallen from grace. **_

**- 'Nobody's home' by Avril Lavigne**

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><p><em>Is this how Sasuke always felt? Betrayed... by his own brother?, <em>Naruto pondered. She had been released from the hospital some hours ago and was now walking through the streets of Konoha to her favourite ramen stand. She was going to have lunch with Kiba, Chouji and Shikamaru.

Her thoughts, though, were not on her favourite dish, but on the boy she had fought over a week ago. The sharp pain in her chest had receded to the dull ache she was used to. It would sometimes spike and she had to gasp, but had been able to cover it up as a cough around other people for the last couple of days.

Kakashi had held her while she had cried her eyes out over Sasuke's betrayal. Her sensei tried to comfort her, but he had not been present in the Valley of the End. He had not heard, what she had heard. The tone in Sasuke's voice; unfeeling and accusing. By now she had convinced herself that Sasuke's defection had been her fault. She had gone over his words, over and over again. Tormenting herself with the guilt she felt and the pain of loss.

Never before had she lost anyone that close to her. The Sandaime Hokage maybe, but they had not been as close as Sasuke and Naruto. The girl felt like something was missing, like she gave up a part of herself. The pain in her chest was proof. It had always been there, reminding her of her loneliness, but being with Sasuke had eased the pain somehow.

But the pain of loss – it was hurting her so much. It made it hard to breathe and her mind was running in circles. _This is what Sasuke must've felt every day of his life, since his brother killed his clan._ She had no idea in how much pain Sasuke must've been. He seldom let it show. She doubted that anyone besides her had ever seen Sasuke actually admitting that he was in pain.

A heavy sigh left her. She knew she was frowning, but thinking about Sasuke caused her mood to go downhill. With her head bowed and deep in thoughts, she almost missed it when she arrived at her destination. She was the first of them, so she decided to wait in front of the stand.

Still lost in her thoughts, the blonde didn't see the attack coming. A fist suddenly connected brutally with the right side of her face. She was thrown to the floor by the force of the punch. Immediately her ninja training kicked in and she got up into a crouching position, hands held in front of her, ready to defend herself. Her eyes quickly located the assailant.

A raging girl with pink hair stood in front of her, arm still outstretched after the heavy punch she'd thrown.

"Sa-Sakura-chan?", Naruto asked insecurely. She hadn't seen her pink-haired team mate for over a week. Sakura had been the only one who had not paid her a visit in the hospital. When she had asked Kakashi, why Sakura was not coming, he had answered evasively.

This was the first time she saw her since she came back from the failed mission. But why was she attacking her? She would probably find out soon enough.

"Don't 'Sakura-chan' me!", the pink-haired girl yelled. Her cheeks were red from rage. "How could you?" A finger pointed at Naruto accusingly. The addressed blonde stood up from her crouching position. She was not completely sure whether the danger had passed, but this was Sakura. She probably had a good reason to hit her, Naruto reasoned, right?

By now a crowd had gathered around the two girls. Villagers were watching them curiously. Many of them recognized the 'Kyuubi brat'. Naruto faintly heard the whispered insults directed at her. Accusatory eyes fixed on her. The girl felt like a mouse in front of a cat.

"Sakura-chan, please, what did I do?" Hesitantly she took a step closer to her team mate.

But said girl immediately took a step backwards. "Don't come near me, Naruto!" Her voice was high-pitched and the bystanders could hear her clearly. "Don't you dare come near me ever again!"

Confusion was written all over the Jinchuuriki's face. _What's going on?_ Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

"You _promised_, Naruto! You promised me to bring him back!", Sakura shrieked.

_Him? So this is about Sasuke, _Naruto sighed. She should have seen it coming. She remembered the promise she had made to Sakura before she left on the retrieval mission. Naruto knew she had failed and Kami knew she was blaming herself enough for it. Still she had assumed that once she explained the situation to Sakura, the girl would understand and there was always next time. Right? But you know what they say about assume.

"Sakura-chan, please let me explain. I-", she tried to reason with the furious girl.

"No, Naruto! I don't want to hear your lame excuses! I should have known from the start that you wouldn't be able to bring him back! After all, what did you ever achieve? You're not the dead-last for nothing! Sasuke was right, you're a dobe!" She was gesticulating wildly in her blind anger.

The crowd was silently watching them, fascinated by the display and open dislike shown to the demon brat. Naruto felt increasingly unwell. Something wet was dripping from her nose onto her lower lip. Irritated, she ran a hand over her mouth. Her hand came away red with blood. Her nose was bleeding. Sakura had actually hit her hard enough to make her nose bleed.

What was it that all her team mates were out for her blood these days? The cynical thought made Naruto wince. She shouldn't think like that. Sakura was just confused and hurting from the loss of a team mate. _It's the pain talking, it's not like she really means it,_ Naruto fiercely tried to convince herself.

"I know you're hurt, Sakura-chan. But I will get him back when-" Once more she was interrupted by the pinkette.

"No, Naruto. I don't want you to do anything for me anymore! Consider yourself released from your promise! You were the wrong person to put my hopes on! You're _useless_!"

_Useless, huh? _That's what Sasuke had called her, too. The dull pain in her chest spiked again. She resisted the urge to claw at her heart. With all the villagers watching, she didn't dare to show any weakness. She knew they would use it against her.

The blonde took another step towards her team mate. She just had to make her understand.

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><p>Chouji, Kiba and Shikamaru were making their way to the ramen stand, when they saw the large crowd gathered around it. They had run a little late, because Akamaru had stopped on every corner, sniffing. The boys heard high-pitched yelling coming from the centre of the crowd. They weaseled through the gapers and reached the front lines.<p>

Their eyes widened when they saw that the commotion was caused by a yelling Sakura, who was confronting a crouching Naruto.

"What's going on, man?", Kiba mouthed what all of them were thinking. Open-mouthed they stared at the pink-haired girl, who was openly demoting her team mate. Naruto was bleeding from her nose and her right cheek was red. _Sakura must've punched Naruto, _Shikamaru deduced quickly. "How troublesome."

"_I HATE YOU, NARUTO!"_, Sakura shrieked. The boys watched, stunned, how she stepped closer to Naruto, slapped her and spat – _spat – _in Naruto's face.

An eerie silence descended upon the crowd. They only parted enough to let Sakura storm away from the scene.

And Naruto... she was obviously shocked. Her blue eyes were wide and unblinking; staring ahead unfocused. In slow motion her hand came up to her face, wiping at the spit on her face. Fascinated she stared at her hand. Her blood had mixed with Sakura's spit. A sticky, wet, red substance.

Never in all her life had she felt this humiliated. Naruto focused on the wetness on her hand. The red blood was mocking her. She could no longer delude herself. This had not been the anger talking. Sakura meant every word. Her second and last team mate had turned her back on her.

For the second time in only one week, Naruto felt something shatter inside her. She could swear that this time, she actually heard the clanking of the shards. The pain in her chest came back with full force. The bloodied hand clawed at her heart. An expression of pure anguish crossed her features.

But she must not allow herself to break down in front of the villagers. She must not show them her weakness. Schooling her face to a blank mask in an Uchiha-like manner, she let her hand fall back to her side. Numbness was engulfing her. It was probably a protective mechanism and pure survival instinct that kept her on her feet.

She didn't even flinch when two hands were carefully placed on her shoulders. "Naruto?", Kiba's voice caught her attention. He gently pulled her away from the agitated people and into the ramen stand. Shikamaru and Chouji made sure that no one was following them.

They gently pushed her down on a stool and crouched in front of her, trying to get a reaction from the girl. "Naruto?" Kiba waved a hand in front of her face. No reaction. "Naruto? Naru!"

"Kiba, stop it. She's in shock", Shikamaru assessed the situation. "Chouji", he turned to the chubby boy, "run to the Hokage tower and tell Hokage-sama what happened. Tell her she needs to send someone to get Naruto. I guess Kakashi-sensei would be the best candidate."

Kiba was glad that the genius had taken control of the situation. He had no idea how to handle this. Naruto was not supposed to look like this. The blonde girl was always cheerful and smiling, blue eyes sparkling with mischief. But now – there was nothing in those blue eyes. No emotion. He expected to find pain and hurt, but there was just nothing. Kiba hoped that Kakashi would arrive quickly.

Shikamaru tried talking to the girl, but had no success. Even coaxing her to eat a bowl of her beloved ramen didn't get a reaction out of her.

Finally Kakashi appeared with a 'poof'. He nodded a quick 'thanks' to the two boys, gently picked Naruto up bridal style and both disappeared with another 'poof'.

Together they ended up in Kakashi's apartment. The small figure in his arms was light. The girl was in shock. Kakashi had seen this reaction to traumatizing events from other shinobis several times before. He carefully placed her on his bed. He took off her shoes, but didn't dare remove her jacket in case she might think he was attacking her. Kakashi covered her with his blanket and tucked her in. Naruto was too far gone to realize that this was the first time ever that someone tucked her in.

After cleaning her face with a wet cloth, he settled in an arm chair he had placed in front of the bed. He was going to watch her. No one would harm her tonight. And if he had a say in it, no one would ever harm her again.

The girl on the bed felt oddly detached from reality. Her numb body wasn't bothering her. For once, the ever present pain in her chest had left her. Her mind refused to make sense of what had happened. The only thought that was repeating in her head endlessly was _Sakura hates me Sakura hates me Sakura hates me Sakura hates me..._

She didn't know how long the mantra played in her head, but finally she was able to fall asleep. But it was not the kind of sleep that soothes you and makes you wake up refreshed. It was a sleep filled with dreams and memories of Sasuke.

"_Sasuke?", a small voice whispered._

_No answer. The regular breathing coming from the hospital bed suggested that Sasuke was asleep. The room was dark. The moonlight was casting gray shadows. It smelled of disinfectant and grief._

_Naruto thought about her options. She could either switch on the lights and wake him up. Or she could just sneak up to him and wake him up – and probably scare him to death._

_The eight-year-old blonde frowned. She had not planned for Sasuke to be asleep when she came to visit him. But now, considering the late hour, she realized she should've expected this to be the case. Sasuke had not been in school today and Naruto was worried about the boy. Something had happened last night, she just knew it, but Iruka-sensei didn't want to tell her. He just said that Sasuke was in the hospital. So she had sneaked here to make sure that her rival was okay._

_The blonde carefully tiptoed over to the bed and looked down on said rival. Sasuke was lying on his back, one arm over his head; his other hand tightly gripping onto the blanket. There was a frown on his pale face, even in sleep. The moonlight illuminated his white skin. Naruto thought she saw the traces of dried tears on his cheeks. Had he been crying?_

_Naruto carefully bent down and very softly brushed a lock of black hair out of his face. His eyelids fluttered, but remained shut. His breathing stayed regular, he didn't wake._

_When Naruto would later think about the reason for why she crawled into bed next to the young Uchiha, she had no answer. All she could think of was that she felt the sudden urge to comfort him and to be close to him. It was probably female intuition that made her take off her shoes, remove her bulky orange jacket and lift the blanket. She climbed into bed and very carefully snuggled close to her rival from school. Sasuke smelled of the citrus shampoo he always used. She liked the smell. Inhaling deeply, her breathing soon evened out and she fell asleep, too._

_Some time during the night, Sasuke woke up, gasping for air. His fear-filled eyes couldn't see in the darkness of the hospital room. He wanted to sit up, but felt a weight on his chest. Panicking, he tried to pull the weight off of him, but whatever it was only tightened its grip around him. He tried to calm down and slowly became aware of his surroundings. He was in the hospital. Not inside of Itachi's Tsukuyomi. He sighed in relief – but halted when he remembered the weight on his chest._

_His wandering hands swiftly recognized the weight as a person clinging to him. A head was resting on his chest. In the moonlight the blonde hair had a silver shine. But Sasuke would know this messy hair anywhere. _What is she doing here?_, the young boy wondered as he recognized his female rival._

_Sasuke didn't know what to make of this. In the academy they communicated mostly by insulting each other. Although Naruto was always chattering animately, he would only nod his head once in a while and give one of his neutral 'Hn' to shut the annoying girl up. Why was she in his bed?_

_Sasuke then caught a whiff of the scent of her hair. It smelled like the woods outside of Konoha, like fresh air and... _sun? Does the sun even have a smell?_ Sasuke wasn't sure if the sun had a smell, but he was sure that the girl in his arms smelled like it. _How fitting,_ he thought and inhaled deeply._

_When Sasuke would later think about the reason for why he didn't push the blonde out of his bed, he had no answer. All he could think of was that he felt somehow comforted by her presence and maybe even reassured that he was not alone – even after what had happened just the night before. His brother had murdered his parents and the entire clan. He was alone now. He felt a pang of grief in his chest and his eyes were suddenly stinging with hot tears. It was probably intuition that made him hug the girl closer to his chest and bury his face in her messy hair. It muffled his silent sobs and filled his nose with the smell of the sun. He didn't realize how her presence made his chest feel lighter._

_Sasuke had no idea that the girl in his arms was wide awake since he had woken from the nightmare. The attempt to shove her off of him had woken her, but she had refused to let go, quietly dreading he would tell her to leave._

_Sasuke had no idea that she witnessed his moment of weakness, how he wetted her hair with his tears._

* * *

><p>He did not realize that this was the first time someone aside from his mother and brother was hugging him – and that he was hugging back.<p>

He had no idea that this would not be the last time Naruto would hug him.

He did also not realize that this was the first time he shared a bed with a girl – with his rival of all people.

He had no idea that this would not be the last time he would share a bed with Naruto.

* * *

><p>In Otogakure, Sasuke awoke from his dream or rather memory. <em>Why do I remember this now?<em> It had been the night after what would be known as 'the Uchiha massacre'. Naruto had visited him during the night. Although she had not known what had happened to his clan, she'd somehow known that Sasuke was in need of a friend; though the boy would never admit it. They had woken up early in the next morning, when the first rays of sunshine had blinded them. To Sasuke's surprise, he was still hugging her small body tightly, clinging to her like a lifeline. He felt... content and somehow... safe. But as soon as the drowsiness of sleep had left him, he tensed. The girl in his arms must've felt it, because she wiggled free from his arms and sat up. They had been staring at each other for some moments, before the blonde had gotten off the bed. She had put on her jacket and shoes and meant to leave. However, she had turned back around to him and crossed the distance between them in two quick steps. She had bent over Sasuke, who was still lying in the hospital bed, and shyly placed an affectionate kiss on his cheek. Before the bewildered boy had time to react, she was gone.

She had never seen him blush a very un-Uchiha-like blush. She had never seen the tiniest of smiles on his face. And she had no idea that he was grateful, even if Sasuke would never admit it to himself.

They had never talked about it; as they had not talked about so much else. The next day Sasuke had been back in school and everyone had known about his treacherous brother. He was now called the 'Last Uchiha' and sadly that had somehow made him even more appealing to his fangirls.

Naruto had only given him a small smile as greeting. It had not been her usual toothy grin, she would flash at every given chance. No, it had been a small, genuine smile. Saying so much without actually speaking a single word. "Teme", she had greeted him. He had looked her in the eyes, knowing she'd see what he couldn't express otherwise. "Dobe", he had answered and her trademark foxy grin was back in place.

_Dobe..._ Sasuke couldn't get her out of his mind. Maybe, if his brother hadn't killed the clan, he would have been able to lead a normal life. He'd never have had to dedicate his life to revenge; he could've been a normal thirteen-year-old relatively carefree teenager and shinobi. But here he was, training under Konoha's number one enemy, Orochimaru.

His training had begun two days ago. Orochimaru was already making him sweat harder in only two days than Kakashi ever managed during the time of Team seven. Although every muscle in his body was hurting, Sasuke knew this was what he had wanted. A sensei, whose sole attention was directed at him. The snake would train him and eventually he'd be able to kill his brother.

_Itachi,_ the name crossed his mind. He was the reason for all his suffering. He had been his idol, the person he had looked up to. Itachi represented everything Sasuke had always wanted to be. His betrayal had scarred him. The constant dull aching of his chest increased a little.

Now Sasuke suddenly remembered that he had felt the same pain when he had first arrived in Orochimaru's hideout. It was the pain of loss. Pure grief that had almost overwhelmed him in the days after the massacre. When he had been all alone.

He recalled Naruto's words. The one she had said when he had faced her in the Valley of the End. She had begged him not to leave him alone.

/_I'll be alone again, if you leave me! I don't want to be alone again/_

What did she mean? Sasuke knew that the girl was an orphan and that she lived alone. Kami, he had seen her filthy apartment. No parent would allow their child to live like that. But surely there was someone who looked after her, right? He frowned when he realized that he had never asked the dobe about her family. Thinking about it, there was a lot that Sasuke didn't know about the girl. _Why did she say she doesn't want to be alone again? It's not like she actually is alone... right? She has a lot of friends... hasn't she? I mean, she's pretty likeable once you overlook her loudness and clumsiness... _Sasuke was sure he had seen the girl with the dog-boy and the lazy Nara. And even with the fatso Chouji. _She won't be alone just because I left! Why the hell am I even caring about it?_

Sasuke ran a hand over his eyes. Why was he still thinking about that dobe? He had defeated her. Even if he hadn't killed her. Sasuke was over her. He had left her behind, because she was hindering him. Right? She was the only reason why he was still weak. She had distracted him from his true ambition. So what, if he had said she was his closest friend? So maybe he was inwardly asking himself if she was okay, but... This didn't change anything!

His body trembled in anger, as he realized that the girl was once again worming herself into his thoughts. "Stupid dobe", he hissed. He swung his legs over the edge of his bed and put on his training attire. He had to get her out of his mind. He'd train until the thought of her finally left his mind. Until the pain in his chest would go away. He stormed out of his room angrily.

* * *

><p>Sasuke had no idea that the girl on his mind was having similar thoughts. She awoke from her dream, feeling restless. Apparently the teme would even bother her in her dreams. Annoyed, she struggled with the blanket. Judging from the scent, she was in Kakashi's bed. She vaguely remembered being picked up by him after – the incident suddenly came back to her. <em>After Sakura said she hates me.<em>

She had lost her second team mate in only a weak. She had somehow driven them all away. There was no Team seven anymore. She was alone. _Again_. The only one who was left was Kakashi. _Let's see how long he'll last_, the cynical thought crossed her mind.

Although Naruto was blaming herself, she had come to the result that Sakura had never been particularly friendly to her. The pinkette would use every opportunity to belittle her – especially in front of Sasuke. She'd hit her for the absurdest reasons. Sakura certainly was violent. And Naruto would mostly be on the receiving end of it. All her attempts to befriend Sakura had been fruitless. The girl never agreed to go eat ramen with her. She was always focused on the teme; obsessively so. Naruto knew since the academy that Sakura was Sasuke's number one fangirl. Maybe this should have been reason enough to be apprehensive. But Naruto had been desperately trying to make friends. The fangirls hated her, the others hardly tolerated her and the boys, well she had formed some kind of friendship with Kiba, Chouji and Shikamaru during detention and pranking.

Still, Naruto came to the conclusion that Sakura had not really deserved her regret. Naruto had once again deluded herself. There never was a friendship in the first place between them. They had been team mates and even then the pink-haired shinobi had mainly ignored her or insulted her.

Staring at the ceiling of Kakashi's dark bedroom, Naruto made a decision. She would not go through this pain again. _Sasuke was right after all – I had no idea how he felt, because I never had anyone I cared about. I was always alone. Being alone hurt less than losing your precious people._

She suppressed a snort as she thought about her own naiveté. Bonds, what were they actually good for? She had believed in them, but she couldn't find the reason for that belief anymore. She had been betrayed twice. She was not sure if she'd mentally survive another betrayal. She just needed to find a way to not get hurt again. She'd have to be very careful in whom she'd place her trust in the future.

* * *

><p><strong>The author says: Sorry to all the Sakura-fans out there! I don't particularly hate her, but she's definitely not one of my favourite characters. At first I thought she had improved a lot and I really started liking her character, especially after the fight with Sasori... But then she tried to 'take care of Naruto' and tried to stop him from chasing after Sasuke by lying to him and telling him she loved him? The girl kinda lost my respect there.<strong>

**Still she will grow up in this fic eventually, that's all I say, so don't fret ;)**

**Thanks for reading! Over and out,**

**xXHaneliXx**


	3. Chapter 3

**The author says excitedly:** Wow, you guys rock! Thank you so much for the new reviews! And in such a short time! Here's your reward: chapter 3 ;)

In case you haven't noticed, this is already the second chapter I updated today, so if you haven't read chapter 2, go back to read it!

Enjoy!

**I don't own Naruto. (Do I actually have to say this every time or is once sufficient?)**

* * *

><p><strong>'He had no idea – SasuFemNaru'<strong>

**Chapter 3**

* * *

><p><strong>Look what he's done to you<strong>

**it isn't fair**

**Your light was bright and new**

**But he didn't care**

**He took the heart of a little girl**

**and made it grow up too fast**

**- 'Broken girl' by Matthew West**

* * *

><p>Three days after the incident with Sakura, Nara Shikamaru was walking through the dark streets of Konoha. Hokage-sama had asked Kiba, Chouji and him to give a report about what they had witnessed in front of the ramen stand. None of the Rookie 9 plus Team Gai had seen Sakura since the confrontation. But none of them was really trying to see her. They were disappointed with her behaviour. Even Ino admitted that Sakura had gone too far with her obsession over the Uchiha. Naruto was a nice girl and all of them liked her lively nature. They saw how the blonde quietly suffered from the defection of her best friend. Sakura's words must've been pretty harsh on her.<p>

Shikamaru sighed. With his hands in his pockets, he lazily looked skywards. It was a clear night and the stars were twinkling. But unfortunately no clouds to watch. "Troublesome."

He was nearing a corner on which he had to turn left, when he heard muffled cries. He stopped to listen carefully. A deep voice could be heard, but he didn't catch any words. The noise was coming from an alley on his right. Shikamaru silently debated with himself. He could take the easy way, turn left, get home and stay out of trouble. Or he could act like the chunin he now was, check on the noise and for once not give in to his laziness.

The pineapple-haired chunin sighed once again. "Troublesome", he muttered but decidedly took the right turn instead of the left. Soundlessly he jumped from shadow to shadow for that whoever was causing the noise wouldn't hear him. But he shouldn't have bothered. Standing in the entrance of the alley, he saw three heavy men standing over a small figure.

"Die, demon", one of the men spat at the figure. Shikamaru briefly registered the insult.

They were to engrossed in kicking and beating up the person on the ground that they didn't hear Shikamaru approach them from behind.

He felt quite lucky. It was dark. Darkness meant having an innumerable amount of shadows at his disposal. And shadows were his element. He quickly ran through the needed hand seals.

"Ninpou: Kage shibari no jutsu." (1) Shikamaru's shadow lengthened and connected with the three shadows of the assailants, who stopped moving as soon as they were caught in the binding technique. He swiftly knocked them out with a well-placed hit to the neck with the side of his hand. He released his technique and the men fell over.

Shikamaru crouched down to check on the figure on the ground. The person was curled up in a foetal position, protecting its head with its arms. The Nara advanced the body. "Hello?", he asked gently as not to frighten the person further. "It's over. They won't hurt you again."

The body on the ground turned to face him, arms falling from the face., revealing her identity.

Shikamaru's breath caught. His eyes widened. "Naruto?"

The blonde girl in front of him pushed herself into a sitting position. Her small hands rubbed at her eyes. Blood was oozing from a cut on her forehead. She stood on shaking legs, not meeting Shikamaru's eyes. Her clothes were covered in dust from the earthy ground. Her shoulders were bent forward, as if standing straight caused her pain.

"Naruto, what happened?", the brunette demanded to know. He was worried about the blonde. She had just recovered from a life-threatening injury.

The girl shook her head. "It was nothing, Shika. Just forget it."

The boy grabbed her wrist as she tried to walk away from him. "Naruto, this is not nothing. Why did they beat you? We should go see the Hokage. These men will be punished."

Her head shot up and her blue eyes focused on his brown ones. "Please, Shika, just leave it alone."

The boy regarded her tired face. What was that look in her eyes? He couldn't place it. "I can't let this go, Naru. I'm worried about you", he gently encouraged her to confide in him.

The girl sighed in resignation. "Look, Shikamaru, you don't really want to get involved. Trust me. This is troublesome." The hint of a sad smile passed her lips.

"Come on, Naruto. Coming to your rescue in the first place was troublesome." He was looking down in her blue eyes. "Why didn't you defend yourself? These men are civilians. I know they are no match for you." The girl averted her gaze. "Did you _let_ them beat you up?", Shikamaru asked curiously. This was getting more and more troublesome by the minute.

The girl pulled her wrist free from his grasp. "You wouldn't understand", she bit out and before Shikamaru had the chance to stop her, she jumped on the wooden fence which enclosed the alley and on the roof behind it. And she was gone. Bewildered, Shikamaru looked once more in the direction she had disappeared to. He quickly checked on the bullies. Seeing they were still unconscious, he roof-jumped towards the direction of the Hokage tower.

* * *

><p>After reporting to Tsunade about the scene he had stumbled upon, the Hokage formed a quick hand seal. Only seconds later an ANBU with a bird mask appeared, kneeling in front of Tsunade's desk, his head respectfully bowed, awaiting his orders.<p>

She gave him the directions to the alley in which Shikamaru had left the unconscious thugs and told him – or her? Shikamaru wasn't sure, those masked ANBU all looked the same to him – to deliver the men to the Torture and Interrogation devision.

The ANBU shunshined away and was replaced by an other person entering through the window. Shikamaru recognized the gray-haired man as Naruto's sensei, Hatake Kakashi. The jounin nodded in greeting and his one uncovered eye rested on the Hokage.

"Kakashi, I need you to check on Naruto, please. Shikamaru", she gestured a hand in his direction, "just saved her. Three men were beating her up and apparently she wasn't even defending herself." She frowned in worry. "She just ran away without an explanation. Make sure she is okay, Kakashi." _Please._

The jounin shunshined away and Shikamaru was left with the Hokage, who apparently had forgotten about him, as she just announced that she needed a sake and was mumbling to herself about being too old for this job.

_Troublesome,_ Shikamaru thought, but had no intention of reminding her about him being there. His brain was already processing everything he had witnessed so far. Hopefully he'd learn more.

The Godaime downed her glass of sake. With a hand seal three ANBU appeared.

"Get me Jirayia! Now!", she barked at the kneeling shinobi. "Start looking at the local brothel", she added as an afterthought. The ANBU disappeared and again Shikamaru was left alone with the Hokage. Shikamaru sweat dropped as he saw the leader of his village eyeing the now empty sake bottle angrily. He was about to open his mouth to speak, when Tsunade yelled "Shizune!" and the door behind Shikamaru burst open. A dark-haired woman in her late twenties rushed past him, the pig in her arms gave a pitiful squeak. "Tsunade-sama", she said, sounding a little breathless, as she came to stand beside her mentor. The woman spared a confused glance at Shikamaru, probably as surprised about his presence as the boy himself.

"Shizune, more sake!", she ordered bossily, banging her fist on the desk to underline her words.

"Tsunade-sama-", Shizune began hesitantly, supposedly trying to tell her that she shouldn't drink sake during work.

"NOW!", the blonde Hokage yelled, jumping from her chair and starting to pace behind her desk. Her assistant fled from the office, leaving behind a fuming Tsunade and a forgotten Nara.

Shikamaru was about to speak, when once again he was beaten to it. A tall man with spiky white hair in his fifties jumped in threw the window. His wooden sandals clacked as he landed on the floor. _This must be Jirayia,_ Shikamaru deduced. He knew that the Sannin had trained Naruto during the one month preparation time before the finals of the chunin exams. _Interesting, why is he here?_

"Tsunade-hime", he addressed the blonde Hokage, "you better have a good reason for getting me! There was this lovely dark-eyed beauty with huuuuge-" Before the man could finish his description of his female company, Tsunade's fist hit him on the head.

Shikamaru sweat dropped. These people were two of the legendary Sannin? One was an obvious pervert and the other had a drinking problem. _Troublesome._

His former team mate glared at him with her hazel eyes. A vein twitched on her forehead. Jirayia was rubbing his abused head, mumbling about brutal, drunken blondes under his breath.

"Jirayia", Tsunade reprimanded him, "this is not the time for one of your pervy stories!" With a serious voice, she added, "It's about Naruto."

Jirayia immediately let go of the forming lump on his head. He stood a little straighter and Shikamaru saw his shoulders tense. His demeanour changed completely from the goofy old man to an attentive shinobi, who suddenly exuded an aura of authority.

"What about the gaki?", he asked. His voice not betraying his actual worry.

"Some civilians caught her alone earlier and beat her up", the Hokage sighed.

Jirayia scowled. "Again, huh?", he muttered rather to himself than as an answer. "Those ungrateful bastards are getting cocky", he said a little louder, thoughtful, "probably think they can get away with it, after that little display of that pink-haired Haruno girl." The tall man crossed his muscled arms over his chest, eyes locked with Tsunade's.

"I sent Kakashi to check on her", the Hokage explained, "he'll report back to me later."

Jirayia nodded in agreement. He hoped that Kakashi would know what to do. He himself had never been good with this consoling stuff. Finally his eyes fell on the intently listening Nara.

"Who's the boy, Tsunade-hime?", he wanted to know. Said boy twitched a little under the sudden attention and the two pairs of eyes directed towards him.

Tsunade realized she had totally forgotten about the boy who had rescued the brat. She dismissively waved a hand at him. "Boy", she bellowed, "what are you still doing here?"

The chunin sweat dropped and raised a questioning eyebrow, expressing his disbelief at her inattentiveness. He knew he would possibly regret it later, but his curiosity outweighed his laziness. He really wanted to know what was going on with Naruto.

"What do you mean 'again'", he addressed the male Sannin, "why has Naruto been attacked before?"

Jirayia squinted his eyes at the brunette. _Pineapple-hair, lazy attitude, quick thinking, _he examined. _Must be the Nara boy. Shikaku's son._

"Why would you want to know, boy?"

Shikamaru didn't have to think about his answer. "Because I was the one who found her. And it's troublesome, but I guess I'm worried about Naruto."

Hearing the word 'troublesome', Jirayia was sure that this certainly was the Nara heir. "Say, why would you worry about her?"

_Geez, the guy's asking a lot of questions, isn't he?_ Shikamaru gave an indifferent shrug, but said "Why wouldn't I be? I consider her a good friend of mine."

Jirayia grinned at the boy. _Right answer, kiddo._ "In that case, you should ask Naruto that question. I can't tell you the reason."

"You can't because you don't know or because you don't want to?", the genius prompted.

_Yes, definitely a Nara. _"It's not my place to tell."

"Jirayia", Tsunade yelled. "Stop it! And you", she faced the prying Nara, "leave! Now!"

Deciding not to push his luck, the boy quickly left the office. Walking down the corridor, he shook his head when a red-faced Shizune hurried past him, two bottles of sake in her hands; the pig on her heels.

Stepping outside and back into the darkness of the night, his mind raced, putting together all the different pieced of information. Trying to make sense of them, he forced himself to slow down a little.

_Naruto has unmistakeably been beaten up a couple of times already. Maybe it even happens frequently?_, he wondered. _But why would someone beat her up? Is it because of her pranking? _But Shikamaru hadn't seen her performing pranks since the graduated from the academy. Where the villagers holding a grudge against her? He remembered how one of the men had called the girl a 'demon' and demanding her to die. That was a little too harsh for holding a grudge against a prankster, wasn't it? _Jirayia evidently knew why someone would beat her. And both of them looked pretty worried about Naruto. _And why hadn't she defended herself? This was getting him nowhere. He was running in circles. _I am missing something._ He thought back, recalling every information he had on the blonde. A memory flashed him a picture, showing Naruto surrounded by an evil red chakra during the fight with Hyuuga Neji. _What kind of power was that? _He remembered Naruto's quick healing and how she had recovered from a fatal wound within a week. What was he missing? Was the red chakra connected to the beatings? Shikamaru sighed heavily. _What are you hiding, Naruto?_

* * *

><p>The reason for Shikamaru's frustration sat atop the Hokage mountain. After fleeing from him, she had intended to go home, but found herself utterly lost. Home... what was 'home' to her? Her shitty little apartment? She couldn't make her feet go there. What was waiting there for her anyway? Nothing. Or rather no one. Not wanting to be lonely in the walls she lived in, she preferred being lonely on top of the old Hokage's faces. She had always felt a strange connection to the lifeless stone faces and some unknown force had pulled her to her favourite spot this night.<p>

Naruto was hugging her knees to her chest. Her chin resting on her kneecaps. Her large blue eyes were shadowed by messy blonde hair that fell in her face. Her whiskered cheeks were pale in the moonlight. No smile was adorning her lips for once. A deep frown was on the usually carefree face. She shifted a little and suppressed a shiver. The night was getting cold, but she hardly felt it. The cut on her forehead had stopped bleeding and Kyuubi had almost healed it by now. She ran a finger over the tender skin, gaining her a jolt of pain. She could feel scar tissue forming and briefly wondered why the demon was not completely healing it. Luckily the cut was right under her hairline, hidden under her bangs. Still, she would have to descend into the sad sewer landscape of her own mind sooner or later, asking her tenant why he was refusing to properly patch her up.

But now was not the time for it. She could hardly bear her own contradicting thoughts, not to mention the Kyuubi messing with her mind.

Her thoughts returned to the previous leaders of Konoha. It was not too long ago since she had sat here and imagined how her own face had been carved into the stone, forever proclaiming her the strongest shinobi of her generation. _Being Hokage,_ she mused, _protecting Konoha._ The stubborn determination and the warmth that used to follow those words, were missing tonight. Was she really willing to protect a village that hated her? Despised her existence and caused her nothing but pain? She had always dreamed of being acknowledged by everyone. Sure, she still wanted everyone to respect her and especially to stop looking at her with hate-filled eyes. But the concepts of forming bonds with people who would never the past her status as Jinchuriki seemed oddly naïve to her now. Maybe Sasuke's harsh words had knocked some sense into her? Or was she giving up?

Doubt was clouding her thinking, she was questioning everything she had ever believed in. _All because of Sasuke... and Sakura._ She briefly took notice that she had dropped the affectionate -chan from her team mate's name. In the future, people would have to earn them her affection. She felt that the events of the last week had traumatized her. How could it not?

Her stomach grumbled from hunger. She hadn't eaten since a small breakfast. Although hungry, she found she had no appetite. Not even her delicious ramen sounded as comforting as a week before. Why was that, she wondered. Ramen had been a constant in her life that never failed to put a genuine smile on her face.

What was it she wanted? She couldn't remember. Naruto's convictions had been destroyed, leaving behind a disturbed and deeply confused teenage girl.

* * *

><p>Said confused teenager was found sound asleep by her jounin sensei only moments later. Kakashi gently scooped her up and took the shivering girl home with him. Repeating his actions of three nights ago, he covered her with his blanket and with good intention put a hot-water bag in bed with her. He watched his pupil's features relax a little at the comfortable warmth. Her breathing came shallow and regularly. Exhaustion was written all over her small frame. Kakashi was sure it was physical as well as mental exhaustion. The girl would sleep for some time. Acting in contradiction to his perpetual aloof attitude, he leaned down and almost tenderly brushed a lock of untamed blonde hair out of her face. <em>What are we going to do with you, Naruto,<em> he worried.

* * *

><p>Having summoned Pakkun, one of his nin-dogs, to watch over Naruto's sleeping form, Kakashi was back in Tsunade's office. The Godaime was fondling a bottle of sake in her right, an empty glass in her left. Jirayia sat in front of her desk, an empty glass in his hand, too. Both shinobi had a bothered expression on their faces and the mood in the room was rather somber.<p>

At Kakashi's arrival through the window, Tsunade looked up, awaiting his report.

While Kakashi gave said report, Tsunade had Shizune bring a third glass and another bottle of their favourite alcoholic drink. Discussing the situation at hand extensively, the sake was soon gone and the three shinobi were somewhat slurring. But in the end, they had reached a solution they were all satisfied with.

* * *

><p>The next day, Naruto awoke in Kakashi's now familiar bed. A look out the window told her that it was already late in the afternoon. She stretched and shrugged off the last remnants of sleep. No pain from the beating was left, the Kyuubi had healed it. The constant dull aching in her chest remained, though. As it always did. She had stopped wondering about it a long time ago and had accepted that it would probably stay forever. Still it unsettled her at the times whenever the pain worsened.<p>

She shook of the blanket and saw the hot-water bag. The blonde paused at the sight, but couldn't give the gesture further thought, because Kakashi entered the bedroom.

Naruto gaped at him, not even trying to hide her astonishment.

The man in front of the bed undoubtedly was her sensei, but still it felt like she had never seen him before. His gravity-defying gray hair fell into his face, as he wasn't wearing his forehead protector. His sharingan was closed and hidden in the shadows of his hair. There was a long vertical scar over the eye, evidence of the injury that caused him to lose an eye. His other dark eye now carved up into his favourite eye-smile, but for the first time, Naruto was able to see the smile that went along with it. Kakashi wasn't wearing his mask.

The jounin rubbed his neck sheepishly. He chuckled. "Quite the unfamiliar sight, ne, Naruto?"

The girl blushed faintly, as she noticed herself staring. Her sensei certainly was a handsome man. How many times had Team seven made up the most ridiculous ideas about his reason for wearing the mask? Uncountable times. And now he was deliberately showing him his mysterious face? She had no doubt that not even a hand full of people in the village had ever seen him without the mask.

Kakashi came over to the prying girl and gently pushed a cup of tea in her hands. She took it from him automatically, still not taking her eyes of the foreign sight. Her sensei sat down on the bed, sipping his own tea. "How are you feeling, Naruto?"

Her blue eyes chose to look on the cup of tea, suddenly seeming really interested in it. _How am I feeling?_ She had no idea how to answer that question. So she said nothing.

The silence was answer enough for Kakashi. He leaned over and affectionately tousled her messy hair with his large hand. He sighed inwardly as he saw the alarmed look on her pale face. But it was gone a second later and he convinced himself, he had just imagined it.

"Jirayia is here to see you, Naruto", he announced and waited for a reaction.

The girl glanced at him. She hadn't seen the pervert since they had gone on the mission to find Tsunade. Honestly she has assumed he had left Konoha again. What could he want? She looked at her sensei suspiciously. Kakashi still noticed how her face lit up with the tiniest amount of hope and maybe even excitement at seeing her other sensei.

Kakashi got up and left the room and in his stead, the tall Sannin entered.

He strolled over to the bed and ruffled the Naruto's hair, much like Kakashi had done before. _Why do people always feel the need to do that? It's probably the reason my hair is always this messy_, the girl inwardly complained and swatted Jirayia's hand away impatiently.

"Hey brat, long time no see", he said cheerfully which earned him a scowl from Naruto.

"Ero-sennin", the girl almost whined and tried to tame her hair with her one free hand as the other was still holding the tea cup. "What do you want?"

Jirayia chuckled at her childish display, but huffed at the nickname. He would let it go for now, though.

"Ne, Naruto, not happy to see your beloved sensei?", he winked. The girl glared at him. He sat down in the spot where Kakashi had sat before and faced his pupil. "I've come to say good-bye, brat. I will leave Konoha tomorrow."

At his words all energy seemed to leave the genin. When before Jirayia had seen the tiniest sign of hope shimmer in her blue eyes, they were now blank. She looked away from him and her shoulders slumped. _So he's going to leave me, too. How naïve to think he would stay and train me. He has better things to do than to look after the demon brat. He's a Sannin after all._

"For how long?", she asked in a neutral tone, not looking at the sannin but thoroughly inspecting the last sip of tea in her cup.

"For a couple of years probably", Jirayia answered cheerfully. He had taken in the change in the girl's demeanour and couldn't help but be a little touched at her – not so obvious – affection for him. Besides that he was also worried and saw what Kakashi had meant last night when he said that the girl was not the same after Sasuke's defection and Sakura's hateful words. He hadn't expected her to be this disappointed with his leaving.

"Oh", was all she said.

Jirayia hated the air of depression that hang over the normally hyper-active blonde. He grabbed her chin with his calloused fingers and forced her to look up at him. Reluctantly, sad blue eyes met his gaze.

"I thought you'd be a little more enthusiastic about seeing the world, brat", he grinned at her. Blue eyes widened questioningly. "It's not everyday the great toad sage Jirayia allows someone to travel with him", he said boastfully.

The girl blinked. Was she really this dense or had Sasuke crushed her belief in a manner that she wasn't believing him?

"Ero-sennin?", the blonde finally spoke, still gazing at him open-mouthed.

"I decided to take you on as my apprentice, Naruto?", he declared generously. "What do you think?"

Jirayia had expected a lot of things; like Naruto crying out in glee or saying something about how it probably was because she was a really awesome ninja. But he had not expected... well, nothing.

The girl shrunk back into herself and he let go of her chin. When she spoke her voice was hardly a whisper. "Why?" She swallowed.

"What do you mean, why?", an irritated Jirayia asked.

"Why would you want someone like me as your apprentice. There a better choices, genin who are more suited, stronger than me."

Jirayia's breath caught. The Uchiha had positively destroyed the girl's confidence. And Kami knew Naruto had had more than enough of that. Right now he hated the boy for what he had done to the gaki. Uzumaki Naruto was a broken girl. He determinedly vowed to himself that he would return the smile to her eyes.

"Uzumaki Naruto", the toad sage spoke softly, "there is no one else I deem worthy of becoming my student." Naruto heard his serious tone and hopeful eyes looked up at him. "I have witnessed that you are a very capable shinobi. And the Naruto I know would jump at this opportunity." he smiled sincerely at the girl who looked so much like his last student. "Or are you a coward, Uzumaki Naruto?", he provoked her.

Naruto's mind was once again a confused mess. Too many things kept happening, too many contradicting emotions were flooding her brain. But she saw the sincerity in Jirayia's eyes and the little she knew about the Sannin, she was sure that he wouldn't break his word.

_To train under him? For several years? _This man had trained the Fourth Hokage. But a lot had happened and yesterday she had realized that she wasn't sure if her dream to become Hokage was what she really wanted. But going with him would mean leaving Konoha. She asked herself if she was ready for that. She almost snorted in disbelief at her own stupidity. Of course she ready. What was actually keeping her here? Sasuke was gone, Sakura hated her as did the villagers. _Nothing_ was keeping her.

Her features lit up at her conclusion and a genuine smile split her face. Her eyes sparkled from gratitude and before Jirayia knew what was happening, he found himself on his back, with a blonde gaki fiercely hugging him with her small arms.

"Ne, shrimp, that's the reaction I was looking for", he chuckled while patting the girls back reassuringly.

* * *

><p>The two left Konoha early in the next morning. Tsunade and Kakashi had seen them off at the gates. Kakashi had his mask back on. Naruto guessed he only took it off in the shelter of his own apartment. To her irritation and the adult's amusement, the jounin had again ruffled her hair. With a pat on the shoulder he told her to take care and winked at her while musing aloud that she would be a beautiful young woman when she returned. Tsunade had hugged her tightly and told her to not let Jirayia's pervy ideas corrupt her innocent mind.<p>

She waved at them, though the action was lacking the typical enthusiasm and no smile graced her lips. Naruto had decided to not say good-bye to the other genin. She felt only slightly guilty about it. The Hokage would tell them later that she had left.

Too much was on her mind. Jirayia had revealed the other reason for their training trip. Akatsuki. The organization to which Uchiha Itachi belonged. He and his fish-faced partner had cornered her once already. The Sannin had explained to her that they were after the Bijuu sealed inside of her. On this trip Jirayia would train her to the best of his ability and ensure that she was strong enough to hold her own against the members of Akatsuki.

Leaving Konoha behind, Naruto felt no regret. She wasn't sad to leave behind a village in which no one wanted her. In fact, she was looking forward to meeting people who were unbiased and she sincerely hoped that people would look at her with kind eyes and welcome her.

Her mood had improved and with new hope she walked towards the setting sun.

* * *

><p>1) <em>Ninpou: Kage shibari no jutsu<em>. It's a Nara family jutsu. Shadow binding technique. The person caught in the jutsu can't move, but won't imitate the user's moves.

* * *

><p><strong>The author says: <strong>Thanks for reading, guys!

Sadly, I have to tell you that I leave on a three-week vacation tomorrow - a well-deserved one, though - and I won't be able to update, becaue I won't have internet. But I promise I'll work on the next chapter and I'm going to update as soon as I'm back. Deal? ;)

Over and out,

xXHaneliXx


	4. Chapter 4

**The author says: **Hey guys, as you can see, I am finally back from my holidays! Yay for you, So here comes the next update!

Thanks to all of my amazing reviewers and all the people who put this story on alert and favourite! This means so much to me! Thank you! Merci beaucoup! Vielen Dank! Muchas gracias! Molto grazie! Please keep telling me how you like it!

Enjoy!

**I don't own Naruto!**

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><p><strong>'He had no idea'<strong>

**Chapter 4**

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><p><em><strong>Rain pours down over a city<br>Night has fallen like a stone  
>Are you gone or are you with me?<br>In my heart I'll never know  
>If I close my eyes I'll see you<br>Hear your footsteps in the rain  
>In my dream I'll never find you<br>but I'll hear you call my name**_

_**- **_**'Way back home' by The Bag Raiders**

* * *

><p><strong>Four months after Naruto and Jiraiya left Konoha:<strong>

A figure was jumping through the trees. Panting, the occasional 'thud' when feet hit a branch, leaves rustling, a dark blur. Naruto knew she was being followed. She stopped in a small clearing. The kunai in her right hand glistened in the sunlight. She crouched low, feet in a wide stance, perfectly balanced, ready to react to whatever was coming at her. She carefully scanned the surrounding trees with her blue eyes. _Where is he?_ Her lungs were burning from the chase and the fighting from before. She jumped at a noise coming from the brush from behind her; she whirled around, arms coming up defensively. But there was nothing.

Naruto inhaled deeply, partly to calm herself, but mainly to take in the scents around her. Her sense of smell had always been sensitive, but in the four months she had been training with Jiraiya, she had learned to use it to her advantage. She didn't smell anything out of place now, though, and kept scanning the tree lines.

She forced her racing heart to calm down. The adrenaline surged through her body, keeping her alerted. The shadows in the trees were too dark to make out anything. _'You can't always rely on your eyes, Naruto. Use what you have'_, she heard Jiraiya's voice inside her head, remembering one of his lessons.

She closed her eyes. She concentrated on her hearing. She pushed aside the sound of her own heartbeat and breathing. She heard how the wind moved the leaves to her right. There were birds in a tree to her left. _How many?_ Three. She listened more carefully. There was a rushing sound a little farther away, coming from behind her. _What is it? _Water. _A river?_ No, splashing. _A waterfall? _Yes. A creaking from in front of her. _A twig snapping._ _What made the twig snap? _An animal? _No, too heavy. _A large animal? _Like a bear?_ But no, she would have smelled that. A loud rustling from the same direction. Wings flapping frantically. _A bird._ _Disturbed by another's presence? _Naruto hold her breath, trying to catch the faintest of sounds. A swish, the sound of cloth moving against cloth. Breathing. _There._

Her eyes snapped open. With newly acquired speed, she flung a swarm of shuriken into the tree line on front of her. The following thuds indicated that they had hit only the trunk of a tree. She jumped backwards, readying another set of shuriken. Inhaling, she caught his scent now. He was close.

A single shuriken came flying at her with lightning speed. Before she could wonder why there was only one shuriken aimed at her, she heard a deep voice call out a jutsu. "_Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." (1)_

The single shuriken multiplied by several dozen. Naruto gulped and threw herself on her back, flattening herself to the ground. The shuriken whizzed past above her, hitting the grass behind her head. She quickly jumped back to her feet, scanning the clearing again.

The scent of her attacker warned her, as a fist came flying at her from behind, aiming for her head. She whirled around, ducking under a muscled arm. She was smaller than her attacker, making it easy for her to evade his swinging fists, but still she was at a disadvantage, because her arms were a lot shorter and she had to get in really close to be able to actually hit him. Apparently, she had gotten too close, as a large fist connected with her belly. She gasped as the power of the punch forced the air out of her lungs. She hit the ground hard, sliding over the grass and finally laying still several feet away.

She groaned from the pain, but resolutely tried to stand up again. Cramps were running through her lower abdomen and she would have fallen back to the ground if not for the strong hand that supported her. Her attacker.

The blonde glared up at the tall man, who was grabbing her arm and gently forced her to a sitting position on the grass. "Ne, Ero-sennin, you don't have to hit me so hard!", Naruto whined. The white-haired Sannin chuckled at his godchild and sat down beside her.

"Your enemies won't hold back, brat. It won't help you, if I go easy on you", he lectured. He got out a sealing scroll and summoned Naruto's bag, their bedrolls and their cooking utensils. Naruto curled up and quietly rubbed her belly. Apparently, Jiraiya had decided to stay in the small clearing for the night. This would be the sixth night in a row they spent in the forest. But Naruto didn't mind. She was still wary whenever they were in a new town. Although people treated her like any other person, not knowing about her status as Jinchuuriki, she had become cautious and suspicious around them.

As Jiraiya prepared a simple meal for them, he regarded his apprentice from the corner of his eyes. The blonde was still rubbing her hurting belly, her eyes were closed and he heard her mutter something about violent perverts. Maybe he did go a little hard on her? But no, he needed to train her for that she had a chance to stand her own against the members of Akatsuki. He sighed and heated the water in their kettle with a well-aimed fire jutsu.

They had been travelling for four months now. And already the changes in Naruto were visible. Some more, some less. While the girl had chattered almost non-stop during the month he had trained her for the chuunin exams, she was now quiet and often he caught her with a very uncharacteristic thoughtful look on her face. When she now spoke, her voice was no longer loud and annoying. She now seemed to actually think before she spoke and at some times, Jiraiya cringed when he heard the almost subdued tone in which she talked. But what shocked – and pained him – the most was that not once in the four months had he seen the trademark foxy grin on her lips. Sure, she smiled, but it seldom reached her eyes. The occasions on which Naruto had given him a genuine smile could be counted on three fingers.

The first time had been when Jiraiya had given Naruto her new outfit. One evening after training she had mouthed that she no longer felt comfortable in her bulky orange jumpsuit. When he had asked her why, she had explained to him that she used to wear the colourful clothes in order for other people to notice her. People either gave her hateful glares or they ignored her completely, overlooking her. But as no one else was wearing orange, they would know immediately that it was Naruto they saw and thus she kind of forced her presence on them. She now saw how stupid she had been; no wonder how everyone thought of her as an annoyance; but at least someone did think of her this way. But this was not longer the way she wanted to think about herself. Especially when they were travelling, she didn't want to draw attention to herself. Her blonde hair was already standing out enough, she had explained. From now on, she wanted people to _want _to notice her and not because her choice of clothing screamed for desperate need of attention. Jiraiya had been surprised at how grown-up and considerate her words had sounded. The next day he had presented a new set of clothing to her. It was nothing special; dark shinobi pants, a dark green longsleeve and new shinobi sandals. He had chosen the darker colours on purpose, as she had told him how she no longer wanted to stand out. He had given the clothes to her as a gift, telling the girl they were some kind of 'welcome gift to his new apprentice', as she only hesitantly accepted them. She was not used to people giving her presents. The small lie had been rewarded when Naruto had given him a small but genuine smile in return.

The Sannin sighed and looked back at the girl he had taken under his wing. She had sloppily unrolled her bedroll and was currently lying on her side, facing the small fire he had started. Her knees where pulled against her abdomen, her arms hugging her knees. Was she still in pain from his punch? Normally Naruto could take more than a simple punch. Maybe he _was_ going too hard on her? He sighed once more, stirring the stew he had prepared. He was about to wake up his student, when her regular, even breathing made him realize that the girl had fallen asleep.

* * *

><p>A piercing shriek, which would have made Sakura proud, woke Jiraiya with a start the next morning. Like the Sannin he was, he was up within a second, kunai in hand, ready to attack whatever was coming at him. Hastily he scanned his surroundings for the source of the scream. As Naruto had never been a girly kind of girl, he was slow to connect the shrill shriek to the blonde. But there she was, sitting on her bedroll, eyes wide with panic, staring at a dark red bloodstain on her white bedroll.<p>

"Naruto!", Jiraiya quickly jumped over to her. "What happened?" He searched her for any obvious injuries, lifting her arms, placing a hand on her forehead, making her open her mouth. Finding no injury that would explain the bloodstain on the bedroll between her legs, he waited for an answer. Naruto flushed bright red under his questioning gaze and buried her face in her hands.

Jiraiya stared back and forth between her hidden red face and the bloodstain. Realization hit him. His face imitated Naruto's in seconds. What was he to do? Thinking about what was happening, he gulped and thought of something to say._ What to do? What to do? What to do?_ He was panicking. This was probably the most awkward situation in his entire life. _Where is Tsunade when I need her?_! He was a _man_, he was not supposed to be dealing with womanly... _problems_! He called himself a 'super pervert' and he loved the other sex, but that didn't mean he had the slightest idea how to handle this situation. Frantically, he thought of anyone who could help him. He needed a woman! Now! And for once it was not for his own pleasure. But they were in a huge forest in the middle of nowhere, where would he get a woman unless he summoned one... _Wait... summon! That's it!_

* * *

><p>Naruto was pretty sure she would die from embarrassment any second. Considering how hot her face felt, she had to look like a tomato.<p>

The girl had fallen asleep with cramps in her lower abdomen, but had paid it no further thoughts, thinking the pain was caused by Jiraiya's punch earlier. When she had woken up and felt a strange wetness between her legs, she couldn't help but shriek at the sight of the dark blood there. Although she had never paid much attention in the academy, she vaguely remembered a female teacher telling the kunoichi of her class about the 'Female Body and its Development' or something like that. Still, she was able to understand what was happening. She was having her first period. The timing could've hardly been worse. She was stuck in a forest with a man, who was a self-proclaimed super pervert. Even mortified as she was, she felt the tiniest pang of pity for the man. This couldn't be any less awkward for the Sannin. They needed a woman!

Wishing fiercely she had listened to the teacher back then to know what to do now, the blonde carefully glanced at Jiraiya who had stopped staring at her. Her sensei was going through hand seals, which she easily recognized as the ones for the summoning technique. What was he planning?

It 'poofed' and after the white smoke had cleared, a toad with purple hair wearing a black cloak appeared. "Why, Jiraiya-chan", the toad greeted affectionately, "how nice to see you! How have you been? I haven't seen you for some time!"

Naruto gawked at the only female toad she had ever met. Shima, the wife of Fukasaku, one of the two Great Toad Elders. _This is Jiraiya's plan? The only woman he can think of is a _toad?

"Ne, Shima-sama," Jiraiya chuckled nervously, "you see, we have some kind of... s_ituation... _here." He discretely pointed his thumb in Naruto's direction, who was still gawking at them with an open mouth. Jiraiya quickly looked back at the toad and bent down to whisper something into her ear.

Naruto watched them. Whatever they were planning, this would better be good. As if the mortification was not enough, her lower abdomen was still hurting, she felt dirty and was in need of a bath.

Jiraiya came over to Naruto. He spoke, but decidedly looked everywhere but at her. "So, Naruto...", he started, "I'll leave you in Shima-sama's care. I'm sure she will explain everything to you." At Naruto's questioning glance, he added, "you know, about the birds and the bees... and what else you need to know." He awkwardly patted her head and really quickly left the clearing.

Before Naruto could mouth her objections, Shima was upon her. But Naruto was sure, she had misheard. A _toad_ was going to give her _the talk?_ She was pretty sure that amphibians had a completely different anatomy and physiology. This couldn't be correct... _right?_

"Ne, Naruto-chan", the female toad Elder began, "I see what we are facing here. It's the maturing of a young girl to a woman." She smiled at the blonde and seeing her red face, added, "No need to be ashamed, child. This is something we all go through."

Naruto's eye began twitching. 'Something _we_ all go through'? _As in all toads or all women_, she wondered, irritated. _This is so wrong!,_ she thought, before Shima started her lecture.

About two hours later, Naruto's eye was twitching quite violently. Although she hadn't paid attention in sex ed in the academy, she was sure that the whole concept about the 'birds and the bees' was not to include certain things she just learned. Where did spawning and tadpoles fit into that equation? _This is so not right!_ Naruto was pretty sure she had just been scarred for life. _Sex ed from a toad? What the hell was the pervert thinking?_

She was still trying to make sense of what she had been told and trying to ban the more visual ideas of reproducing toads from her mind, when Jiraiya returned. The Sannin found a pale Naruto, who was unintelligently opening and closing her mouth_._ He swallowed when he caught something that sounded like _'babies, not tadpoles'. _Maybe this had not been one of his best ideas... But at least Naruto's bedroll looked more or less clean now and the girl itself also looked like she had taken a bath in the nearby river.

He thanked Shima for helping him out and she returned to Mount Myouboku, leaving behind a very disturbed Naruto and a nervously chuckling Jiraiya. Hearing the words 'toad spawn' coming from the blonde, Jiraiya was certain that things had taken an entirely wrong direction. Maybe he should've given her the birds-and-bees-talk himself? This was definitely a topic he was very well schooled in. Sighing, he decided that he couldn't undo what Shima had caused and decided to do some damage control.

He unsealed a bottle of his finest sake and two glasses from a scroll he kept for emergencies quite like this; or well, maybe not particularly like _this_ as he had never imagined to face this kind of situation, but still; this more than qualified as an emergency. He poured two glasses of sake and handed one to Naruto. He had to nudge her and call her name twice before the traumatized girl was able to react. She automatically took the glass and downed the sake in one go. Jiraiya stared and wondered, if she had had sake before, but the following coughing proved his assumption wrong. He moved to pat the girl on the back, when he received a fiery glare from her. He quickly pulled his arm away and instead refilled her glass. She downed it again; almost without coughing this time.

_Whatever Shima told her, it must've been more disturbing than I thought, _the Sannin mused. Doing further damage control, he tossed Naruto one of his Icha Icha Paradise books. The girl squeaked when she saw what she had caught from him. "_Ero-sennin!_", she yelled a him, making the nickname sound like the accusation it actually was.

"Hehe," he chuckled guiltily, rubbing his neck, "just read this, at least it will help you to get the images of tadpoles and active toads out of your head, brat!"

This was the day Jiraiya corrupted his student's innocent mind and introduced the girl to sake. They would never talk about it again, too embarrassed about the whole thing – and in Jiraiya's case also too afraid of what Tsunade might do to him, if she ever found out.

* * *

><p><strong>Two months later:<strong>

Jiraiya was overseeing a group of two hundred Narutos going through Kenjutsu katas. (2) She was getting better each day and he was proud of her steady improvement. With the help of Naruto's Kage bunshin technique, her Taijutsu was now flowing and there was a grace in her movements she had lacked before. A week ago he had started to train her in Kenjutsu. He was no master with the katana, but Naruto had expressed her wish to learn it and thus he did his best to teach to her at least what he knew until he found her a proper Kenjutsu-master.

The Sannin himself was incapacitated at the moment. A month after the _incident in the clearing_, as he had dubbed the situation both of them avoided to mention, Naruto had received a rather deep cut on her back during a spar. Kyuubi had healed it within half a day, but the cut had left a long scar on the blonde's back between her shoulder blades. Jiraiya had asked Naruto why the fox demon wasn't healing her properly and the girl had told him that Kyuubi had failed healing her scars since Sasuke had put the chidori through her chest. And indeed there was an ugly, kind of star-shaped scar over her heart and the counterpart on her back under her left scapula.

After contemplating Kyuubi's behaviour, Jiraiya had tried to loosen the _Hakke no Fuin Shiki_ (3). Unfortunately his idea had backfired as Naruto had lost control of the demon's chakra during training, ending in her developping four tails of the demon's evil chakra. Jirayia had been severely wounded and had been closer to death than ever before. Naruto did not remember what exactly happened, but she knew that she had somehow caused the horrible injury on Jiraiya's chest.

The injury was now over four weeks old, but due to the Kyuubi's chakra, it wasn't healing as expected. The Sannin was out of danger, but light spars were all he could manage at this point. That was why he was only supervising Naruto's training right now, rather than participating.

He threw a kunai at one of the clones who had made a mistake in the kata. It dissolved and the original Naruto stopped for a second, absorbing the new information and quickly corrected her movements.

Three hours later, master and student were sitting around a fire, having grilled fish for lunch. The girl was sweaty and sore, still she was full of energy. Jiraiya was regarding her fondly as she was rapidly devouring her meal. She swallowed and addressed her sensei.

"Ne, Jiraiya", she started and the addressed man immediately knew something serious was up as she was using his name instead of her favourite nickname for him. "I thought about something."

Jiraiya nibbled on his fish, looking at her expectantly.

"I want you to teach me Fuinjutsu."

"Ah, and why the sudden interest?", her sensei inquired.

"Actually it's not so sudden. I've been thinking about sealing for some time now", the blonde explained, swallowed and went on, "Since Orochimaru sealed the Nine-Tail's chakra in the Forest of Death during the Chuunin exams with the Five Element Seal. And you always use the Chakra-suppression Seal on me, when I lose control of Kyuubi's chakra. I think it should be useful to know how to do and undo these jutsus. And they might come in handy, if I ever need to seal the chakra of an opponent."

Jiraiya was a little surprised at the stream of words. Obviously his student had considered this for some time. The sincere tone in which she had explained her reasoning made him proud. Half a year ago, no one would have expected something like this coming from the hyperactive blonde.

"I see you really thought about it. Still, I have to warn you. Fuinjutsu is nothing like Taijutsu or Ninjutsu", the Sannin made clear. "It needs a lot of time studying and most shinobi consider it boring, that's probably the reason why it has become somehow rare. However, it has proven quite useful to me over the years", he smiled, thinking back. "If you are willing to dedicate your time to it, I'd very much like to instruct you in the arts of sealing. Considering that you are greatly affected by the results of a sealing technique, I think you should indeed learn it."

The girl had listened to his answer and was happy that her sensei had approved of her idea. It did sound like a lot of work, though. And considering how poor her handwriting and even her reading was, she was a little anxious whether she would be able to ever be able to correctly draw seals. However, she had decided on learning Fuinjutsu, and Kami knew Uzumaki Naruto never went back on her word.

* * *

><p>In Otogakure, Sasuke was panting. He was sweating profusely, hurting pretty much everywhere and bleeding from several cuts. Orochimaru was a strict sensei. He dedicated five hours every day for training with the young Uchiha. After six months in Orochimaru's hideout, the boy's strength had doubled and his speed increased immensely. Sasuke felt himself getting stronger by the day. For him, this was proof that leaving Konoha was the right decision. He was certain, that none of his former teammates or the rest of the Rookie 9 was at his level by now. He had a sensei who paid him attention and taught him everything he knew. <em>Because he wants your body,<em> a treacherous voice spoke in the back of Sasuke's head. _He only trains you to take over your body and you will die._

Sasuke shook his head, trying to get rid of the voice of doubt. The seconds of confusion almost cost him his right arm as Orochimaru's katana came flying at his right. He threw himself to the left and instead of getting his arm severed, he received a deep cut on his deltoid. He clasped his left hand over the wound. It was bleeding stronger than any of the other cuts.

The snake Sannin sheathed his katana. His slitted eyes regarded the Uchiha coldly. Sasuke stared back, not wanting to back down under the intense gaze. He would never admit it to himself, but in secret, Orochimaru's eyes unnerved him. They always held a look of insanity and – yes, desire, in them. _Desire for your body_, the unwanted voice spoke up again.

Sasuke averted his eyes. He always lost these staring contests. But he told himself that one day, when he was strong enough, he would no longer back down from the Sannin. However, he still needed the Sannin's training and thus had to swallow his famous Uchiha pride for the time being.

"Let Kabuto patch you up and then rest. You will spar with Kabuto in the afternoon." The Sannin left the training grounds and Sasuke did as he was told.

* * *

><p>"<em>Naruto-baka! Move, I want to sit next to Sasuke-kun!", a pink-haired twelve-year old Sakura demanded with her hands on her hips. She brutally shoved the smaller blonde girl aside and sat down next to her beloved Uchiha.<em>

_Sasuke sighed heavily. This girl was seriously getting on his nerves. Naruto and him usually sat next to each other. Although that meant he had to endure her endless happy blabbering, he seldom complained about it, because Naruto also kept his fan girls at bay. They hated the blonde with a ferocity that sometimes scared even him. He could only wonder how Naruto put up with their angry glares._

_Said blonde's chit-chat had abruptly stopped due to Sakura's shoving. She was rubbing her shoulder, frowning at the pinkette, who of course ignored her. Instead she was staring longingly at the raven, batting her eyelids furiously at him._

_Determined to finish the conversation with Sasuke, Naruto jumped onto the desk and sat down in front of Sasuke. Silently amused by Naruto's antics, the raven looked up at his rival and tried to look annoyed. Never would he admit to anyone that he actually enjoyed the girl's stories about how she had found a small bird the other day or how she had had ramen for breakfast today, because her milk had gone bad._

_He smirked at her and being Naruto, the blonde took it as encouragement to go on. By now she was using her hands to show him how large exactly the bowl of ramen had been this morning. His smirk widened as he thought about how enthusiastic she could be about something as simple as a bowl of ramen. She always tried to persuade him to try her favourite food, but until now he had never agreed._

_Naruto was just about to tell him in detail about the number of noodles in her ramen, when it happened – someone pushed the crouching girl, and she fell forward –_

– _their lips met. Shocked about the sudden contact, both stared into the other's eyes, not daring to blink. Somewhere Sasuke heard a very shrill shriek, probably Sakura, but all he really took in was the sensation of soft lips on his own. They were so warm and seemed to fit onto his own lips perfectly._

_Naruto's blue eyes finally blinked, seemingly having gotten over the initial shock. She quickly pulled away, but kept staring at him._

_Unconsciously, the girl licked her lips and Sasuke followed the movement of her tongue with his eyes._

"_Eeew, Sasuke, you taste like tomatoes!", the blonde complained loudly, but Sasuke was probably the only one in the classroom, who heard the laughter in her words. She flashed him her typical foxy grin and licked her lips again, not trying to get rid of the taste at all._

_Sasuke's tongue imitated Naruto's, licking over his lips, before he was able to stop himself. He made a face. _Ramen. _He savoured the salty taste and smirked up at his rival. Maybe he should try this ramen some day. Coming from her lips, he definitely liked the taste._

* * *

><p>Sasuke woke up from his rest to his growling stomach. He was hungry. Judging from the time on his alarm clock, it was time for lunch anyway. He made his way to the kitchen, where one of Orochimaru's servants would prepare a meal for him. Arriving in the kitchen, he was alone, though. Don't wanting to cook, he opened one of the cupboards, in search of a quick snack. To his displeasure he didn't find any tomatoes.<p>

Instead he stumbled upon a pack of instant ramen cups. He looked at them quizzically, while his stomach gave a loud growl. He shrugged and took one of the cups; he heated the water and poured it over the instant noodles. He made a face, as he caught the scent of the unhealthy food. His stomach growled again. Wondering where his sudden desire for ramen came from, he hesitantly gave it a try. The salty taste filled his mouth. To his surprise, he realized he liked it very much and enthusiastically dug in.

Sasuke had no idea that the salty taste reminded him of the girl, who had unwillingly stolen his first kiss over two years ago. However, Orochimaru's servants found themselves ordering large quantities of instant ramen cups from this day on.

* * *

><p><strong>Six months earlier: One week after Jiraiya and Naruto left Konoha<strong>

Shikamaru was very suspicious. He hadn't seen Naruto since the incident in the alley, where he had found her getting beaten up. He had been looking for her everywhere for a week now, but there was absolutely no sign of the hyperactive blonde. This alone struck him as unusual, but he had also noticed how some of the shopowners talked about it being so nicely quiet for once.

By now the genius was certain that Naruto had either left Konoha or that she was dead. He hoped for the latter to be wrong, but still he needed some conformation and that was exactly what he was about to get. He was on his way to the Hokage tower, when an ANBU appeared in front of him, telling him that the Hokage wanted to see him.

Arriving in Tsunade's office, he saw that he was not the only one ,who had been summoned. In fact, he counted all of the Rookie 9 plus Team Gai... minus of course Sasuke and also Naruto and to his surprise, Sakura was also missing. He concluded that the girl must be running late, but was proven wrong when Tsunade ordered the door to be closed and settled behind her large desk, regarding the young shinobi.

"You're all probably wondering why you are here-", she began, when she was interrupted by Shikamaru.

"It's about Naruto, isn't it?", he said in his lazy drawl. Tsunade's eye twitched. _That Nara brat again. _"About why no one has seen her for over a week."

"Yes, this is indeed about Naruto. But before I explain this to you, I need you to know that due to certain circumstances, she couldn't tell you herself." She paused and sternly looked at the gathered genin. "However, she asked me to tell you in her stead, for she wanted you all to know that she left Konoha."

Kiba was the first to react. "She what – ?", he exclaimed.

"Naruto left with Jiraiya on a training trip. He took her on as a student and Naruto gladly accepted", Tsunade clarified.

The genin gaped at her. Jiraiya – one of the Three legendary Sannin – had chosen Naruto as his apprentice?

_What does he see in the idiot?, _Ino wondered, without meaning to be mean. Kiba pouted, obviously a little jealous of Naruto for this opportunity. Lee was yelling something about how Naruto's youthfulness had always shone brightly. Neji's face didn't betray any emotion, but inwardly he was happy for the girl. He knew that Naruto was not to be underestimated. She had beaten him fairly in the finals of the chunin exams and talked some sense into him. He held the girl in high regards and hoped that she would be fine.

Shikamaru found his suspicions confirmed. He wanted to ask Tsunade whether Naruto's sudden leaving had anything to do with what had happened, but the Hokage shot him a look, ordering him to remain silent about the incident.

The genin left the Hokage's office and Tsunade was glad to be alone. However, as she was about to take out her beloved bottle of sake, the clearing of a throat made her look up again. It seemed that not all of the genin had left yet. Still standing in front of her desk were Nara Shikamaru – _persistent brat –_ Hyuuga Neji and Inuzuka Kiba. _Huh? What do they want?_

"I don't seem to get rid of you, Nara", Tsunade barked and impatiently gestured at him. "Why are you three still here?"

She had expected Shikamaru to speak, instead she heard the Inuzuka kid answer. "Why did she leave without saying good-bye?"

Tsunade inwardly smiled at his accusing tone. Who would have thought that he cared about her blonde gaki. "Jiraiya needed to leave quickly. There was no time to say good-bye."

Shikamaru squinted his eyes at her suspiciously. He had not bought her lie. _The brat is too bright for his own good._ She couldn't tell if Neji believed her, but Kiba was seemingly satisfied with her answer.

"When will Naruto be back?", the Hyuuga heir asked in his calm, deep voice.

Tsunade sighed. "In about three years." This was too long even for her liking. She already missed the loud blonde girl, but she knew that Naruto needed time to mend.

Kiba gaped at her. "Three years? Damn, she will be super strong when she returns!" Tsunade laughed at his wide eyes. "Akamaru!", Kiba yelled at his dog, "we go training! Now! The idiot won't beat us again!" Determined, he left the office with a yelping Akamaru on his heels.

Neji smiled silently and bowed to the Hokage, excusing himself. Although Shikamaru knew he was still missing something here, he left as well.

Tsunade shook her head, unbelieving. Did Naruto know how much her former class mates cared about her? Especially those three. They had stayed behind to ask about her. The others hadn't even thought about asking when Naruto would return. She smiled and made sure to remember the three boys.

* * *

><p>(1) <em>Shuriken Kage Bunshin no jutsu: Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique. The user multiplies a single shuriken; the created shuriken are solid, no illusions<em>

(2) _I've always thought it strange that Jiraiya didn't use Naruto's Shadow Clones to help him with the training. I think it's quite convenient_

(3)_ Eight Trigrams Sealing Technique: The seal that the Fourth Hokage used to seal the Kyuubi inside of Naruto._

* * *

><p><strong>The author says:<strong>

**Sex ed from a toad, poor Naruto ^^ Some attempt at humour in the first part of the chapter :D Was it any good? This idea somehow came up and I just needed to write it. Please tell me, if you liked it! In case you didn't, I promise I won't try to write anything funny again ^^  
><strong>

**And something else concerning Naruto's development. I'm certainly going to make her learn more ninjutsu. Did you watch the newest filler episodes of the Anime? They almost make me cry! I can't believe it! All Naruto ever uses is his Shadow Clone Technique and the Rasengan. Honestly? After this incredible fight against Pain, Naruto is back to two jutsus? I know those are only filler episodes, but still... it kinda pains me to see him this weak...**

**Enough rambling! Over and out,**

**xXHaneliXx**


	5. Chapter 5

**The author says: **I'm definitely spoiling you guys! Two chapters in only three days... Reward me with lots and lots of reviews ;)

Thanks to all readers and reviewers! You make me smile! :)

Enjoy chapter 5! And pay attention to the time specifications in the headlines! (**bold**) Or you might get confused.

**I do not own Naruto!**

* * *

><p><strong>'He had no idea'<strong>

**Chapter 5**

* * *

><p><em><strong>I'm walking away, From everything I had.<br>I need a room with new colours.  
>There was a time,<br>When I didn't mind living the life of others. **_

_**Are you loving pain, loving the pain?  
>And with everyday, everyday<br>I try to move on.  
>Whatever it was,<br>Whatever it was,  
>There's nothing now.<br>You changed.  
>New Age. <strong>_

_**- **_**'New Age' by Marlon Roudette**

* * *

><p><strong>Three weeks after Sasuke left Konoha:<strong>

Uchiha Itachi was not amused. In fact, he was furious. His little brother had betrayed Konoha and joined the village's biggest enemy. And it was all Itachi's fault.

He had not seen this coming. He had miscalculated. All he had ever wanted, was to keep his beloved otouto safe. He had made a terrible mistake. He saw this clearly now. It had been wrong to try to force Sasuke to take the path of an avenger.

_Hatred, _he thought, _how could I ever believe hatred to be the key to power?_ Now Sasuke would give his body to Orochimaru. Unwillingly, Itachi had played into the hands of the snake Sannin. He remembered too clearly, how the man had tried to attack him and take his eyes. But luckily, he had been no match for Itachi's Mangekyou sharingan.

He somehow needed to find a way to safe Sasuke. He had failed once, but he wouldn't fail another time. He had to correct his mistake and rescue Sasuke from becoming Orochimaru's next vessel.

However, his plans were easier said than done. Konoha had already failed in retrieving his brother. And he had no idea where Sasuke and Orochimaru were. The Sannin had hide-outs all over the Elemental Nations. Finding him would prove difficult. And what would Itachi do, when he finally found him? He needed a plan, and soon. He had three years to find his otouto. He just hoped, he wouldn't be too late.

* * *

><p><strong>Two years and one month after Naruto and Jiraiya left Konoha:<strong>

Naruto was sitting atop a hill, overlooking the small town under her, where she and her sensei had spent the last few nights. She was currently waiting for Jiraiya to return from his 'research' – yes, he was still doing that, even though he was travelling with a young woman now.

And a young woman Naruto had become. She was almost sixteen years old now and she had changed in many ways – mentally, as well as physically. Her long blonde hair was neatly braided and fell down her back. The last baby-fat had dissolved, showing her high cheekbones and elegant nose. The whisker marks were visible as three thin, dark lines on each cheek against her tanned skin. Her clothing had changed since Jiraiya had given her the first new outfit. Due to their intense training, the poor clothes had suffered and Jiraiya had found himself buying new sets of trousers and shirts for the girl almost every three weeks. As he was fed up with spending so much money on clothes – he rather spent it on women – he had chosen a pair of leather pants for Naruto. They were black and tightly hugging her firm legs. At first, she had felt uncomfortable wearing them, but they had proven sturdier than the normal shinobi pants and therefore had soon come to value them. The shuriken holster was still wrapped around her right thigh and the black shinobi sandals had only changed in size. Her dark longsleeve ended shortly under her elbow and her hands were protected by fingerless, black gloves.

Naruto was not wearing her forehead protector and hadn't been doing so since she had left Konoha. Jiraiya had looked at her a little disappointed, but had said nothing about her choice. She was just not sure whether she wanted to be known as a Konoha shinobi right now. After all that had happened, the girl was confused of where she belonged. The treatment of the villagers combined with Sasuke's and Sakura's betrayal had left her utterly aimless. She just didn't know what to do, whom to trust and what to fight for. As long as she had these doubts, she wouldn't wear the headband with the Leaf insignia.

Her ocean blue eyes followed a cloud in the darkening evening sky. How she wished she could be free as this cloud, following the wind, escaping beyond the horizon. She sighed. Shikamaru was right, there certainly was a peaceful aspect to cloud-watching.

Jiraiya finally came back from his research and joined her atop the hill. He quietly handed her a green popsicle and sat down on the grass beside her. She took it from him and smiled gratefully. They sat in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Jiraiya", Naruto eventually spoke up, "can I ask you something?"

The Sannin turned towards her and smiled encouragingly. "You know you can ask me anything, Naruto."

The girl shyly averted her eyes. "It's something quite personal, though."

"Just ask away, brat", he offered, silently wondering where this was going.

"You know", she began quietly, "I was wondering... How was it when you were a genin? In a team with obaa-chan and Orochimaru, I mean."

Jiraiya paused at this for a second. He had not expected this. He thought about his answer for some moments and Naruto was about to apologize for being too nosy, when he began to talk. "The Sandaime was a strict but caring sensei. It wasn't always easy with the three of us. Team Hiruzen was formed, when we all were only six years old. We were children then", he sighed. _So long ago. _"I was a very loud and clumsy kid", he confessed and then laughed, "much like you, gaki." He winked at his student. Facing the horizon again, he went on. "You remember the bell test?", he asked, but didn't wait for an actual answer. "We failed miserably and I was the one who was tied to the training stump." The man chuckled, revelling in his memories.

He talked and talked and Naruto listened curiously, until his voice became more serious. "Orochimaru and I were always competing with each other. You could say, our relationship was a lot like the one between you and the Uchiha." He quickly went on, as he saw Naruto wince beside him. "We were always fighting and Sarutobi-sensei often had to stop us from truly harming each other. Still, he was my best friend."

Naruto watched her sensei. Their stories were so much alike, it was almost ironic. Orochimaru had betrayed Jiraiya, had abused his trust and finally fled from Konoha. It was like history was repeating itself. The girl could tell that the loss of his best friend was still hurting the otherwise tough man, even after all these years. The man's eyes were unfocused and staring inwards, probably remembering the events that had led to the exposure of Orochimaru's illegal experiments.

His voice had become quiet and thoughtful. "You know, I promised myself I'd bring him back. I couldn't accept what he had done." He stopped, swallowing against the lump in his throat. "I never succeeded, though. And seeing him two years ago, I realized that the Orochimaru I knew, no longer exists. It is hard to accept, but sometimes you just have to let go. People change."

Naruto frowned. Involuntarily, she had to think of Sasuke. Her former best friend. How much had he changed since he had joined Orochimaru? Would she even recognize him when she saw him again – or rather _if_ she saw him again? She remembered the promise she had made to Sakura, about bringing him back. The pinkette had released her of it, though. She was no longer bound to bring him back. Did _she_ want to bring him back? _People change_, Jiraiya had said. Naruto knew she had changed a lot since that fateful battle in the Valley of the End. Had she changed enough to let Sasuke go? Or had she changed enough to _not_ let him go? What was it she wanted to do? She was so confused. The only thing she knew, was that she had no obligation towards Sakura and whatever she would do about Sasuke, she would do it for herself and not for her ex-team mate.

_Ex-team mate,_ the girl cringed. What was awaiting her back in Konoha? Jiraiya had planned to return to Konoha within the next two months. They had been gone almost two and a half years now and he had said it would be a good time for them to return. Akatsuki would soon make their first move and whenever that happened, he wanted to be in Konoha rather than in foreign territory. Was she ready to go back yet? She didn't know.

Jiraiya was talking again, but she was only listening again, because she had caught the name 'Tsunade'. "...you know about her violent streak. She always hit me." The white-haired man chuckled softly. "She never wanted to go on a date with me. I asked her every day, but she never agreed." He sighed heavily and proceeded.

Naruto watched her sensei curiously, while he kept talking about a young Tsunade. He had a dreamy look in his eyes and she wondered, if he even realized that he had a goofy grin on his lips. _Who would have thought..._

The girl listened to his stories quietly, until Jiraiya finally exhaled deeply, finishing. He regarded her for a moment and then asked, "Why did you ask, gaki?"

Naruto swallowed. Well, why did she ask? "You know, I'm just so... _confused_. It's like all I ever believed in was taken from me and now I have no idea what to do any more." She was nervously fumbling with the hem of her shirt and unconsciously biting on her lower lip. She was nervous and insecure, Jiraiya understood.

Before he could offer any advice, she took a deep breath, as if to gather her courage and all her sorrows left her in a fast stream of words. "I always thought I wanted to become Hokage. You know, so that everyone in Konoha would acknowledge me... But after all that happened... I realize now that I made a vital mistake." She swallowed and shot a nervous glance at her sensei, before looking back at her hands.

"I always thought that becoming Hokage was the key to being acknowledged. But I was wrong. The villagers will never make me their Hokage. Why would they make the 'demon brat'", she spat bitterly, "the most powerful person in the village? Some of them fear me, because they think I'm the Kyuubi in disguise. They mainly leave me alone, but the ones that truly hate me... They will never allow me in a position of power." She stopped again.

Jiraiya saw that it was not easy for the girl to open up to him. She had not overcome the trust issues caused by her team mates' betrayals and even after over two years of travelling together, she seldom spoke her mind this freely. Anxious to interrupt her, Jiraiya remained silent and waited for her to go on.

"I'm not even sure, if I actually want to become Hokage in the future. Protecting a village full of people who despise me? They'd rather see me dead. It sounds so selfish, but I just can't see myself giving my life for people, who will never appreciate such a sacrifice."

Her words made Jiraiya frown sadly. As harsh as Naruto's words were, deep inside he knew that the girl was speaking the truth. Right now, no one would ever accept her as Hokage.

"I wanted to be acknowledged and form bonds with everyone. I was so desperately in need of anyone to see me that I forgot to notice how my behaviour actually drove the people away. Maybe if I hadn't tried so hard to be noticed, people would not have been as angry with me. I shouldn't have pulled all those pranks! No wonder, they saw me as a nuisance! They only saw the demon brat causing trouble – and that was all I was really doing!" By now her voice had increased in volume, expressing her inner distress. "I mean, honestly, what was I _thinking_? Even _you_ thought I was nothing but a dumb loud-mouth when we first met!"

She shot another glance at her teacher and took his guilty wince as confirmation. "I can't blame you, though. I _was _nothing but an idiot back than." Her voice had gotten quieter again. "I know, I changed a lot in the two years with you, Jiraiya. I hope you know how grateful to you I am that you gave me the chance to prove myself."

The blonde looked up at her sensei with a serious look on her face. "I don't think I ever told you how much it means to me that you chose me as your student. All my life people told me what I couldn't do. But you... you saw behind the grins and clumsiness."

Jiraiya was blinking rapidly against the moisture in his eyes. Who would have thought her words would touch him like that? He knew Naruto was gazing at him intently. To hide his sudden emotions, he quickly placed a strong arm around the girl's shoulders and pulled her against his side, half-hugging her. "Ne, you're making an old man feel very sentimental here, brat."

A small smile appeared on Naruto's lips at Jiraiya's gruff but kind words. "I really mean it, though. You were the first to ever truly believe in me." She leaned back a little to look into the tall Sannin's eyes. "Thank you."

Jiraiya suddenly felt warm, as he took in the sincere smile on the girl's face. For the first time in over two years, the smile was reaching her eyes. He smiled back at her, marvelling at those beautifully sparkling blue eyes that reminded him so much of the girl's father. Before Jiraiya had left Konoha with Naruto, he had promised himself to bring the smile back to her eyes. He had finally succeeded.

Naruto swallowed and spoke again. "You put your trust in me, because you saw that I can be more than the boastful, hyperactive idiot... And I think that is what I have to show to everyone else, if I expect them to acknowledge me. Why would they trust someone who only causes trouble? Hell, even _I_ wouldn't have trusted me back than", she chuckled mirthlessly.

"Do you think they will acknowledge me, if I show them my other side? _This_ side of me?", her blue eyes stared at Jiraiya. He saw hope in them, but also fear of hearing that there was no chance for her to ever be recognized.

The white-haired man turned towards her, fully facing her. "Uzumaki Naruto", he began almost solemnly, "you are one of the most courageous, honest and caring persons I know. Everyone, who won't see that side of you, is not worthy of your attention. You have always been like this, Naruto, your personality has not changed as much as you might think. It is only that you finally stopped hiding behind that grin of yours." He looked thoughtful. "I know how easy it is to hide your insecurity behind loudness. Somehow people always assume that loudness is a sign of confidence."

Although Jiraiya was addressing her, Naruto knew that he was talking from personal experience.

"After what I told you about my team mates, you know how very much I understand you. Sasuke and Sakura hurt you deeply and I saw how much their betrayal changed your attitude towards life. I see how you're questioning everything you ever believed in, but let me tell you, Naruto, you need to find back to yourself. I hate to see you like this. You used to be so determined." He shook his head in regret.

"Maybe you don't want to be Hokage any more, maybe you still do. Maybe you want the villagers to acknowledge you, maybe you don't. Maybe even with all your effort, they will never overcome their hatred. Maybe they will see the real you and some day come to trust and even love you. Maybe you now feel like you need their appreciation to be happy, maybe you will one day realize that you didn't. But so what? You don't need to decide everything now. Take your time. But eventually, you have to find back to yourself."

His intense gaze was fixed on her. "This is _your_ life, Naruto. Whatever your team mates did to you, you can't let their actions dictate the rest of your life."

The blonde only looked at her sensei with surprised, wide eyes. His words had touched something inside of her. It was not like he had presented the solution to her problems, but it was a start. She would take his advise into consideration. But already something he had said was taking root in her mind. _This is _your_ life, Naruto. Whatever your team mates did to you, you can't let their actions dictate the rest of your life._ She knew Jiraiya was right. She couldn't keep moping about Sasuke and Sakura. However, she would never forget it. She would never be the same again. She would not let their betrayals rule her life, though. Nevertheless, she had learned her lesson and she would not go back to being the village's idiot. Maybe Jiraiya was right and this new side of her had always been there, but she had been hiding it behind a mask. Maybe she somehow had to thank Sasuke and Sakura for forcing her to grow up and become the person she now was.

Suddenly, she didn't feel as insecure as just a minute ago. Still, she had too much to think about. After all, she still had to think about what to do in the future.

Heaving a heartfelt sigh, she stood up. Jiraiya looked up at her, understanding that she needed time to make up her mind.

Before she left, she turned back to Jiraiya and suddenly shot him her foxy grin. "You know", she said, "you should tell Tsunade-baachan that you love her."

The Sannin sputtered indignantly. "W-What!"

His student only kept grinning and then winked at him. "It's pretty obvious, you know. You got this dreamy look on your face whenever you're talking about her."

Naruto left him alone, giving Jiraiya something to think about as well.

* * *

><p><strong>One and a half years after Sasuke left Konoha:<strong>

Itachi had finally found his otouto. It had not been easy to keep his search for Sasuke a secret. Madara was watching the Akatsuki member's moves and usually Itachi was always travelling with his shark-like partner Hoshigaki Kisame. Therefore it had taken longer than he would have liked, but this had also given him the chance to make up a plan of some sorts. Itachi knew that the second his little brother laid eyes on him, he would try to kill him. Itachi was not worried that Sasuke could defeat him. Not yet, at least. So his plan was simple.

They were at the northern border of the Land of Sound and Itachi had succeeded in getting Sasuke alone. He had watched him for three days already, making sure to catch him on his way back from a solo mission to Orochimaru's current hide-out.

Sasuke had grown, but was still smaller than Itachi. His hair had not changed at all, but to Itachi's liking, his clothes looked too much like Orochimaru's.

The moment Sasuke's onyx eyes focused on his aniki, they widened in shocked surprise. Immediately, he schooled his face back into the neutral mask he always wore. "Itachi", he spat at the older Uchiha. His sharingan flared red. Three tomoe were spinning angrily.

"Little brother", Itachi greeted and inclined his head at Sasuke. "You have grown."

"What do you want, Itachi?", Sasuke growled.

Itachi activated his Mangekyou. "I want _you_", he simply said and instantly Sasuke was unknowingly caught in his genjutsu.

With an angry cry, Sasuke launched himself at Itachi. Itachi evaded a punch to his face, sidestepping his brother. Sasuke aimed a fist at his belly, but only hit air. Losing his balance, Sasuke staggered. Itachi easily stepped around him. Sasuke pulled out a kunai and whirled around to stab the kunai into Itachi's chest.

With a squishy sound Sasuke's kunai sunk deeply into the heart of his brother.

Hot blood was running over his fingers and down his right arm.

A gasp was heard. Sasuke looked up – and his gaze met a pair of familiar ocean blue eyes.

_What?_ Sasuke stumbled back.

In front of him stood a blonde girl in an orange jumpsuit. "Na-Naruto?" His voice was shaky. What was she doing here? He was fighting Itachi – how...

"Sasu... ke...", the girl gasped. Blood was gushing over her lips, running down her chin. The blue eyes stared at Sasuke in disbelief and pain. She reached up with her hands and gripped the kunai protruding from her chest.

Sasuke could only stare as she fell to her knees.

"Why did you...", Naruto started, but was choking on the blood that filled her mouth.

Naruto's hand reached out to the raven, silently begging him to come to her. Without hesitation, Sasuke knelt in front of her, grabbing the outstretched hand. She fell to the side and Sasukecaught her, pulling her in his arms. Her shoulders were on his lap and her head rested on his arm.

Sasuke didn't know what to do. Here he was attacking his brother. How had he ended up killing Naruto?

"Sasu-ke..." Naruto's bloody left hand came up to his face, touching his cheek. He placed his hand over her's, still watching her, speechless.

Beautiful blue eyes focused on him. "Why did you kill me, Sasuke?"

Paling, Sasuke cringed at the words. Her voice and eyes were full of accusation. "Why did you leave me alone?"

The raven saw the pain in her eyes, but knew it was not due to the kunai in her chest. He had left her. Abandoned her, although she had pleaded him not to go. He had shoved a chidori through her chest, aiming to kill. This time it was a kunai. And this time, he had struck her heart.

"_Why?_" Her voice was louder now, even more accusing. "How could you? You said I was your closest friend!" She was spitting blood, but Sasuke didn't care as little red droplets hit his face.

He needed to say something, anything. He needed to make this right. Before she died. "Naruto, I..." He didn't know what to say. He hadn't _meant_ it when he punched through her thorax...? He had never wanted to kill her, but killing Itachi was more important...?

The blonde's eyelids fluttered.

"No, _Naruto_!" Suddenly panicking, the raven shook his former team mate. "Don't you die on me, dobe!" He squeezed her shoulders, desperately trying to get a reaction out of the dying girl. "Don't die, please! I'm sorry, Naruto!" He didn't care that he was shouting at a dying girl. "Naruto, do you hear me! Please, _just please, don't die!_"

Naruto coughed. Her eyes opened again. But suddenly Sasuke wished, they had stayed closed. Too many emotions were swirling in the blue orbs. And all were directed at him. Pain. Confusion. Accusation – and. Hatred. There was a coldness in these eyes that made him shiver.

"_I hate you, Sasuke", s_aid the girl in a hard voice. Her eyes gave a final flutter, closing. The body in Sasuke's arms slumped, her head lifelessly lolling to the side. Uzumaki Naruto was dead.

"_No!"_ Sasuke wailed in anguish. There was no mistaking. This time he did kill Naruto. The dobe. His best friend? Hot tears were running down his blood-stained cheeks. "No no no no no...", he repeated to himself, not accepting what was happening.

The blonde's last words were playing in his head. _I hate you, Sasuke. _Knowing that the only person he had ever considered a friend, had died hating him, made his chest hurt like it was on fire. The dull ache that was his constant companion peaked. The pain consumed him. It surged through his body, feeding on his momentary self-loathing.

All thoughts on Itachi were forgotten as he held onto the corpse of his former rival and best friend.

Sasuke passed out before Itachi released the genjutsu he had cast over his littler brother in the moment he had first looked into his Mangekyou sharingan.

The older Uchiha stood in silence over his brother's unconscious form. He was surprised. Beyond surprised, actually. Itachi had not expected this. The genjutsu he had cast on Sasuke was supposed to show the boy's greatest fear. Itachi had expected something in the lines of Itachi killing Sasuke or Sasuke reliving the night Itachi had killed their parents. He had not expected... well, _this._

Sasuke's greatest fear was killing Naruto? Or losing Naruto? Or Naruto telling him that she hated him? Or all of those?

How could he use this new information to his advantage? He dismissed his former plans and pondered on his options. Sasuke was unconscious. He could easily take the boy with him now. But where to? Itachi could not bring him to the Akatsuki. He would never let Madara lay hands on his otouto. But he couldn't take him to Konoha either. There was a 'kill on sight' order on Itachi – and probably on Sasuke, too, by now. And why would Itachi – traitor and murderer in the eyes of everyone except for the council Elders – bring back his brother to a village the boy had betrayed as well? No one would believe him. So taking him to Konoha was no option, neither was Akatsuki.

Itachi didn't like it, but he had no choice but to leave Sasuke with Orochimaru for the time being.

He sighed sorrowful and bent over the form of his little brother. "I'm sorry, otouto. I promise, I won't fail you again. I will see you safe." He quietly flicked Sasuke's forehead with his index and middle finger like he hadn't done in so many years.

Sparing Sasuke a last glance, he walked away, a new – better – plan already forming in his head.

* * *

><p><strong>Two years and six months after Jiraiya and Naruto left Konoha:<strong>

Master and student were packing their things in silence. Naruto sealed their cooking utensils together with her bedroll and backpack back into the storage scroll. She used some water from her water bottle to extinguish the last remnants of their camp fire.

Jiraiya watched her, arching a white eyebrow at the girl. She was taking longer than usual. He knew something was up with the girl. She had been increasingly restless the last couple of days. They had planned on leaving for Konoha today. They were only three days away, already within the borders of Fire Country.

Naruto had eventually finished and was now strapping her katana to her lower back. Slowly, she strolled over to her sensei and stopped in front of him, looking up at the taller man.

Her blue eyes held a swirl of emotions, but it had become more difficult lately to read the girl. Still, Jiraiya knew what was coming. He knew her.

"Jirayia, I –", she started, but Jiraiya interrupted her with a movement of his hand.

"It's okay, kiddo." He reassuringly smiled down at his ward and placed a large, heavy hand on her shoulder.

Naruto peered at him, searching in his face for any signs of disapproval.

She wouldn't be returning to Konoha with Jiraiya.

Her mouth opened again. "I just need time to figure out some things."

"I know."

"Tell obaa-chan I'll be back soon, will you?"

Jiraiya pulled her into a tight hug, which Naruto gladly returned.

"I will", he replied and affectionately ruffled her hair. "Just don't take too long. And stay away from the Akatsuki, you hear me?"

Naruto nodded obediently. Jiraiya released her and with a last smile, turned towards the road to Konoha.

Naruto watched as his figure got smaller and smaller and finally vanished in the distance. She took a deep breath and ,straightening herself, set out into the opposite direction.

* * *

><p><strong>The author says:<strong>

**I feel pretty good about this chapter. I really enjoy writing this story!  
><strong>

**I need some constructive criticism, so please tell me what you _don't_ like about the story. I can't improve, if no one tells me what I could do better, you know.**

**Thanks, over and out,**

**xXHaneliXx**


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

><p><strong>'He had no idea'<strong>

**Chapter 6**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Now that she's back in the atmosphere<br>with drops of Jupiter in her hair  
>she acts like summer and walks like rain<br>reminds me that there's a time to change  
>since the return from her stay on the moon<br>she listens like spring and she talks like June**_

_**But tell me did you sail across the sun did you make it to the milky way  
>to see the lights all fading and that heaven is overrated<br>tell me did you fall for a shooting star one without a permanent scar  
>and did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there<strong>_

**- 'Drops of Jupiter' by Train**

* * *

><p>"<em>Show it to me!"<em>

"_No."_

"_Why not?"_

"_Because you can't do it!"_

"_Of course I can, believe it! Just show it to me!"_

"_No!"_

"_Come on, Sasuke! Show me!"_

"_No!"_

_Two children were arguing loudly. A six-year old blonde girl was begging her raven-haired rival to teach her the technique he had been practising, until said girl had interrupted him. It just looked too cool, she needed to learn it! Sasuke was spitting fire! From his mouth!_

_The young raven was practising _Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu (1). _His father had shown the technique to him and Sasuke was very determined to get it down. He wanted to make his father proud and prove that he could be just as good as Itachi. But the annoying blonde girl had somehow found him training at the lake. And she now demanded of him to teach the technique to her. But there was just no way that the dead-last would manage a technique of this level. And besides, it was a family jutsu, so he wouldn't reveal it to her. She was not an Uchiha, after all._

"_No!"_

"_Yes!"_

"_No!"_

_The two had begun shoving each other; Sasuke trying to get rid of the girl and Naruto trying her best to convince the boy to teach her._

_Sasuke, being a boy and a little older and taller, was stronger than the blonde. With a final push, the raven was able to get the girl off of him. Losing her balance, the blonde fell backwards and, with a surprised squeak, fell off the small wooden footbridge, landing in the water with a loud splash._

_Smirking satisfied, Sasuke watched the small blonde. She was wildly waving her arms. Her head sunk under the water. Sputtering, she surfaced._

"_Sasu –", she sunk again, cutting her off. "Can't –"_

_Sasuke watched her curiously. Why wasn't she just swimming to the shore?_

"_Swim!" Gasping for air, she sunk under again, splashing wildly. He caught a look of her wide, frightened eyes, before the water swallowed her again._

_Can't... swim...?_ Can't swim! _Naruto couldn't swim, he realized!_

_Without a second thought, Sasuke jumped into the water. With quick, skillful motions, he reached the panicking girl. He grabbed her around the tiny waist, trying to pull at least her head atop the water. It was difficult to hold onto the violently thrashing girl, but he eventually managed. He was rewarded with the sound of Naruto's coughing, as she drew in the desperately needed air. He hooked his arms and hers and manoeuvred both of them to the sandy shore of the small lake._

_Naruto lay next to him, coughing and spitting water._

_Sasuke sat up and watched her, feeling a little guilty now for pushing her into the lake. But how could he have known that the girl didn't know how to swim? She was six years old! Sasuke had learned swimming two years ago!_

_Eventually, Naruto's strained coughing subsided and she pulled herself into a sitting position next to the raven._

"_Why can't you swim?", Sasuke blurted out. It must've come out harsher, than he intended to, because the girl next to him flinched and looked to the ground, avoiding his scrutinizing eyes._

_Her voice was uncharacteristically subdued, when she answered. "No one taught me", she whispered._

_Sasuke wasn't sure, whether he had heard correctly. "What? Speak up!"_

_The girl's head snapped up, blue eyes focusing angrily on him. How dare he mock her about this? After all, it was his fault she had nearly drowned._

"_No one taught me!", she burst out, glaring at him defensively._

_Sasuke was confused. "Why wouldn't your parents – " He stopped abruptly, as he saw the pained look on Naruto's face, before she turned her head away from him. He remembered. Naruto was an orphan. She had no parents. No one, who would show her how to swim. But surely there was someone who took care of her. He had known her for barely a year now, since the beginning of the academy. He head never heard her talking about anyone resembling some kind of parental figure. And if he remembered correctly, she was also living on her own._

_Sasuke thought about his own family. About how his father had taught him swimming when he was four years old in this very lake. His mother had been very proud of him and Itachi had congratulated him, too, which had made Sasuke beam with pride. Incapable of imagining being all alone, having no one to care about, he felt pity swell up in him._

_Naruto was visibly sad and maybe even ashamed to have to admit that there was no one, who cared about her enough to teach her something as simple as this._

_Before he knew what he was doing, he saw his hand nudge the girl in the shoulder. "I could teach you", he murmured. His voice sounded strange to his ears and he felt a small blush appear on his cheeks._

_Naruto slowly looked back at him. Her blue eyes searched his face for any sign of mockery. Did he really mean it? Why would he take the time? After all, they had just been arguing, because he had not been willing to teach her the fire jutsu. Then why teach her how to swim?_

_She suspiciously squinted her eyes at him. "Why would you do that?"_

_Sasuke was shyly fumbling with his hands in his lap. They were still wet and his clothes were soaked. He didn't know exactly where this generous offer was coming from, but he wouldn't take it back. Not after seeing the hopeful shimmer in Naruto's eyes._

"_All shinobi must know how to swim", Sasuke replied, actually finding truth in his small evasive lie._

_A very hesitant smile formed on the blonde's lips. "Really, would you teach me?" The tone in her voice was so hopeful and genuinely grateful, that Sasuke felt himself nod at her._

"_Yes, I promise." He looked into her blue eyes. They were filled with joy and sparkling from the last light of the setting sun._

He promised!, _Naruto thought, dumbfounded. Unable to express her appreciation in any other way, she threw herself at the boy next to her, hugging him around the waist, throwing him over in the process._

_Sasuke suddenly looked up at the darkening sky, the blonde girl clinging to him. His cheeks were still red and he was glad that it was already too dark to make it out. Returning slowly to his usual composed self – how was it that around Naruto he always acted so unlike him, anyway? – he peeled Naruto's arms off of him, sitting up again. The smaller child happily grinned at him, forgotten that not half an hour ago, she had been very angry with him._

"_Will you teach me now?", she asked eagerly, slightly bouncing on her knees._

_Sasuke had to smirk at her eagerness, somehow feeling good for being the reason for her happiness. "No, not today. It's already getting dark."_

_Her smile weakened a little at his words. "Another time, dobe." And with that her face lit up again._

"_Teme", she grinned at him, returning their usual insults._

* * *

><p>Sasuke had no idea that he would never keep the promise to his blonde rival. And he had no idea that he would come to regret it deeply.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>One and a half years after Sasuke left Konoha:<strong>

Sasuke awoke, feeling disoriented. His head was throbbing and he was oddly aware of the dull ache in his chest. He had come to live with it, pushing it back, not letting it consume him. Today though, it felt fresh, almost like the day of the Uchiha massacre, almost like after the fight in the Valley of the End, after he had abandoned Naruto. _Naruto..._ His memories came back to him. He had _killed_ Naruto! He had stabbed her in the chest with a kunai! She had stopped breathing in his arms! Sasuke's fist gripped the fabric over his aching heart. _No,_ he silently pleaded.

_/I hate you, Sasuke!/_

It couldn't be true. Naruto's last words. Did the dobe really hate him? But how could she not. Sasuke had killed her. Unintentionally, though. He thought back. He had come from a mission for Orochimaru – and suddenly Itachi had appeared! _Itachi... _Sasuke wondered. What had his brother wanted? And why had Naruto been with him? He thought about how he hadn't seen Itachi after he had stabbed Naruto. And he had turned around, ready to kill Itachi. But in Itachi's stead, there was Naruto. The blonde idiot... _Could it be...?_

His agonizing musings were interrupted, when a door opened.

_A door? _Where exactly was he, anyway? The last thing he remembered was a dying, bleeding Naruto in his arms... He now realized that he seemed to be back in Orochimaru's hide-out. There was no mistaking this strange wall design.

Sasuke looked up and saw Kabuto standing in the room. "Ah, Sasuke-kun, I see you are awake."

The medic nin walked over to Sasuke's bed. He professionally checked his vital status. Deeming everything to be fine, he coolly regarded the Uchiha.

Wanting some insight to how he had ended up back with Orochimaru, Sasuke asked, "What happened?"

Kabuto kept silent for a moment, then replied, "I felt a strange spike in your chakra signature. You can be glad that you weren't too far from the base or I wouldn't have felt it. You were unconscious, when I found you." He watched the raven closely. "Do you remember anything?"

Sasuke hesitated. He didn't want the medic nin to know that he had met Itachi. And he wasn't yet sure of what had happened exactly. "No."

The grey-haired shinobi looked at him quizzically, obviously not believing him. "I felt the remains of a genjutsu around you", he revealed.

At his words, Sasuke felt relief wash over him. _A genjutsu! _Itachi had tricked him into seeing Naruto's death! He hadn't actually killed her! His heart rate increased as confusing emotions filled him. For the second time, he had somehow not ended up killing the girl! His relief was so strong that he had to look away from Kabuto, to hide the emotions crossing over his face. The relief was so strong, that he forgot to notice how easily his brother had still caught him in his genjutus, failing to see that he still lacked power.

Just to be sure, Sasuke asked another question. "Was there any blood when you found me?"

"No", Kabuto squinted his eyes at him doubtfully, "Was there supposed to be blood?"

"No, never mind", Sasuke answered quickly. He had his answers. It had really been a genjutsu.

_Why would Itachi seek me out only to cast a genjutsu on me? _Sasuke couldn't find a plausible reason to justify his brother's actions. Itachi had left him behind. He could have killed him effortlessly. Why didn't he? And why would Itachi show him a genjutsu with Naruto in it? Maybe Itachi had hoped that Sasuke knew where Naruto was? After all, the last time they had met, Itachi had wanted to kidnap Naruto; though Sasuke still didn't know why Itachi and his blue-skinned partner had been after the girl.

There were too many open questions for his liking. He carefully swung his legs over the bed and stood. He felt a little shaky, but was fine otherwise. He would go train, maybe that would ease his mind.

* * *

><p><strong>Two years and eleven months after Naruto left Konoha, six months since she parted with Jiraiya:<strong>

Naruto exasperatedly threw the cards on the table. She had lost – again. She pushed the chair back from the table, ignoring the lecherous grins directed at her. The five man at the table stared longingly after her, calling after her to come back, keeping them entertained.

Naruto didn't turn back. She left the shady casino, grudgingly paying her debts.

She had just found out something else about herself. She sucked at gambling. As lucky as she usually was, luck eluded her, when it came to card games such as poker.

The girl sighed and walked along the dark streets of the dubious town she was in. She had arrived here two days ago. Alone. She had been on her own for little over five months now and it had been interesting five months so far.

As she had no idea what she wanted in the future, Naruto had thrown herself into whatever came her way. She had started meaningless fights in bars with dangerous looking guys. She had beaten up bandits, who tried to rob her one night. She had kissed a young man she had met in a bar; but it had not gone beyond kissing. She had tried fishing in wave country, finding it rather boring. She had tried playing an instrument, but found out that she had no musical talent. She had tried drawing, too, and thanks to her lessons in sealing, she found her sketches to be rather good. She had climbed the highest mountain she could find – without using chakra; it had been very exhausting, but arriving on the peak, overlooking the small world to her feet, a sense of accomplishment had filled her. She had drunk sake until the world had been spinning around her and in the process had also found out that she could drink a lot before puking her guts out, thanks to Kyuubi.

Concerning Kyuubi, she had also gotten new information. Jiraiya had always suggested to talk to her tenant, but so far, Naruto had been somehow reluctant to do so. One night, when sleep wouldn't come, she had finally tried to meditate. And indeed, she had entered her mind scape, meeting the fox demon. The chakra creature had been as hostile as she had expected. She was very apprehensive of the things the demon had told her, but some of it, she did believe. She had asked the Kyuubi why he would no longer heal her wounds, leaving her scarred for the rest of her life. By now her body was littered with scars of every form and size. Jiraiya did not go easy on her and she always pushed herself as much as possible, often ending in her passing out. Kyuubi had told her that the scars served as a reminder of her own vulnerability. She _was_ a demon container, which gained her more than one useful advantage, such as the incredible healing. But still, she was only human and she could still die. And the demon would die together with her. Naruto knew that he would do everything in his power to not let her die, though. However, she could somehow understand his reasoning. The demon had started leaving her scarred after the almost-fatal wound caused by Sasuke's chidori. If not for Kyuubi, she would doubtlessly have died. Naruto swore, she saw the huge fox's eyes widen slightly in surprise, as she had sincerely thanked him for not letting her die that day. Nonetheless, she made sure to keep in mind that it had by no means been a selfless act. It was only thanks to the demon's own survival instinct that she was still alive.

Maybe Naruto only imagined it, but after the talk with Kyuubi, she felt as if it had become slightly easier to access his chakra.

Naruto made a mental note to avoid gambling in the future. It had cost her her last money. She had taken to doing all kinds of jobs in order to get money. Jiraiya hadn't left her very much and thanks to her experiments, she was pretty much broke by now.

But had she found any answers yet? No. She still didn't know what to do. She had no purpose; no idea what she wanted to achieve, no aims for the future.

She arrived in the small hotel room she had rented, grabbed her few things and left the town. She liked travelling during the night, when the world was sleeping. It was relaxing. It also helped training her senses, always staying alert.

Her feet carried her down a dusty road. She followed them willingly, wondering where they would lead her this time.

* * *

><p><strong>Six months before:<strong>

Tsunade sat at her desk. Her chin rested on her hands and she was silently cursing the stupid paperwork. Her eyes fluttered, she was tired. It was already dark outside and she felt like she was the only person left in Konoha up and working.

Fighting against sleep, she straightened up, grabbing the next report. It contained the progress of the latest ANBU recruits. She stopped for a second at the names of Hyuuga Neji and Inuzuka Kiba. She still remembered the two boys from when they had asked about Naruto after she had told them that the girl had left to train. Pleased about their progress after one year in ANBU, she was about to reach for the next report, when she heard the clanking of wooden sandals on the floor of her office. _Could it be...?_

The blonde Hokage turned towards her window. Her face lit up at the sight of her white-haired team mate.

"Ne, Tsunade-hime, still working?", the tall man greeted her, flashing her a grin.

Tsunade returned it and allowed Jiraiya to kiss her on the cheek. She felt the skin where his lips had touched her grow hot. She suppressed a blush. Looking around his broad figure, expecting to find Naruto, she frowned.

"Where is she, Jiraiya?"

The taller man squirmed a little. "You know", he began, "she told me to tell you, that she'll return soon."

"What? She didn't return with you? Where is she? You left her _alone_?" Her voice was loud and Jiraiya flinched.

He repeated the conversation between him and Naruto to Tsunade. About how the girl didn't know what to do, having no aim, trying to find herself.

Jiraiya finished and Tsunade sighed. She had hoped that her favourite gaki would be able to mend while travelling with Jiraiya. But it seemed as if she still needed some time. And she wouldn't take it from her. Whenever the girl returnerd, she would support her in whatever decisions and aims she came back with. She just wished she'd come back today.

* * *

><p><strong>With Naruto again: (Two years and eleven months after Naruto left Konoha, six months since she parted with Jiraiya)<strong>

Naruto regarded the huge sandy walls of Sunagakure. Her feet had taken her all the way through the desert to the huge gates of the Village hidden in the Sand. She smiled. Her feet had taken her to the one person, who would maybe understand her.

She greeted the guards at the gates. As she was still not wearing her Konoha forehead protector, she was not recognized as a shinobi immediately. Although the katana on her back spoke volumes and also her attire was rather unusual for a civilian. She gave her name and said she was hear to see Sabaku no Gaara. The two guards shared a quick glance, making Naruto wonder what it was about. Nonetheless, they told her she could see him – if he approved. She wondered why Gaara had to give his approval, but followed one of the guards nonetheless.

They were making their way through the village and Naruto took in the sight of the funny round houses that looked so much different than Konoha. Eventually, she realized that they were headed in the direction of the Kazekage tower. They entered the building and climbed several stairs to stop in front of a door, which said 'Kazekage's Office'. Her guard motioned Naruto to wait and sit on the bench in the hallway. She did as she was told, still not sure why they would see the Kazekage when she wanted to visit Gaara. The guard entered the office after a polite knock. He emerged a minute later, holding the door open for Naruto. "Kazekage-sama will see you now." He bowed and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Confused, Naruto looked around in the office. It looked a lot like Tsunade's office in Konoha, with a large desk and a windowed wall. A slender figure wearing the white and green robe of the Kazekage was standing behind the desk, facing the windows.

"Um, hello", Naruto started intelligently. Why was she here?

A deep, calm voice answered her. "Uzumaki Naruto." The way the Kazekage said her name sounded familiar to the confused girl.

The figure turned around, taking off his hat in the process, revealing a mob of messy red hair, beautiful, wise teal eyes and the handsome features of Gaara.

"Gaara?", Naruto said stupidly.

The young man placed his hat on the desk and walked around the desk to stand in front of her. He placed his right hand on her shoulder and smiled a wonderfully gentle smile at her. "Naruto."

Finally realizing that it was really Gaara in front of her, Naruto felt herself grin at him warmly. "Gaara!", she repeated and despite her newest apprehension around other people, she closed the distance between them and hugged him.

Surprised, Gaara tensed a little, but quickly returned the hug.

Naruto stepped back and looked up at him. "Huh, you're actually taller than me now, Gaara!"

Gaara chuckled softly. He was hardly four inches taller than the girl in front of him. And with Naruto being only 5'4'', it was rather short for a sixteen-year old teenager.

"You are Kazekage now!", Naruto stated the obvious, not quite believing it yet.

"Yes", Gaara replied calmly, "thanks to you, Naruto."

"Huh, thanks to me?" She was irritated at how dumb she was currently sounding.

Gaara returned her questioning eyes. "If it wasn't for you, Naruto, I wouldn't be where I am today." His voice was so solemn and grateful that Naruto felt herself blush and she quickly averted her gaze.

Gaara placed a finger under her chin, forcing her to look up at him again. "I mean it, Naruto. You helped me overcome my hatred towards life. You showed me that there is more to life than that and that proving my existence by killing others was wrong." He frowned sadly. "Thanks to you, I was finally able to form bonds of love and friendship."

Naruto suddenly felt sick. He believed in bonds now? Well, she could tell him now that believing in something like that would only end up in him getting hurt. "You should be very careful in whom you put your trust, Gaara", she said bitterly, turning her head away.

"This coming from you, Naruto?" Gaara knew she had been hurt by Sasuke. He had been there with his siblings to help the Sasuke retrieval team, but he had not yet seen what effect Sasuke's defection had on the cheery blonde. Apparently, the Uchiha had thoroughly crushed her beliefs.

"It is better not to have any bonds. Being alone hurts less than losing a precious person." Even to her own ears, Naruto's voice sounded empty and utterly defeated.

Gaara wouldn't believe his ears. "Did Sasuke tell you that?", he almost spat. Such a strong show of emotion from the otherwise calm person; but he had never liked the Uchiha. "You are a fool, if you truly believe that, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto looked up at his angry tone.

"You have been hurt, I can understand that. But I cannot – and will not – accept you talking like that, Naruto." He took her hand and pulled her along.

They left the Kazekage tower and stepped into the busy streets of Suna's market district. "Watch closely, Naruto", Gaara ordered and Naruto complied.

The civilians of Suna greeted Gaara. They smiled, when they saw him. Some waved at him, shouting a blessing.

They walked down the road and at every corner, people stopped their conversations to greet and look at the Kazekage. The fact that Gaara was still holding Naruto's hand in his own, was also drawing curious glances.

"Do you see?", Gaara asked.

Naruto watched the people more closely. There was genuine joy in their eyes when they saw the leader of their village. Friendly smiles. Open stares, yes, but no hatred was directed at him. No one called him a 'demon' under his breath when they walked by.

Naruto was fascinated. What had changed? How did Gaara get everyone to acknowledge him – to love him? He was their leader now, recognized as the strongest person in the village. The person, everyone put their trust in.

Envy coursed through her, making her feel both guilty and sick. She shouldn't be jealous of Gaara. He had finally achieved what she had always dreamed of. She understood him better than anyone else. How much this must mean to him.

"How did you do it?", she heard herself asking, a pleading tone in her voice.

Gaara stopped in the middle of the street and turned to her. "I earned their trust, Naruto."

"But how? What is the key, Gaara?" She was desperate to get an answer to that question.

The redhead regarded her intently, sad about how the blonde had lost her course. "It's trust, Naruto." He smiled at her. "You used to call it a bond. Either way, the foundation is trust. I never trusted anyone but myself. I was suspicious of everyone. They all hated me and wanted me dead. Even my father wanted me assassinated." He swallowed at the painful memory.

"But then I met you. You were the first person to trust me. You treated me differently. You weren't afraid of me and I felt that I could relate to you. When I found out that we were both Jinchuuriki, that we carried the same burden, I wanted to kill you. To prove my existence; like I used to. But you defeated me and yet you didn't kill me."

He smiled, but the look on his handsome face was a mix of sadness and seriousness. "You trusted me and wouldn't stop talking about bonds. So I tried it, you know. I put my trust in my siblings. And I was rewarded with their trust in return. We formed a bond; first it was friendship and now it's love. I finally had a family. So I started to open up to other people. I trusted them, and they started trusting me. They started to see behind my sand and saw how I had changed."

His eyes were still fixed on Naruto, who absorbed his words like they held the answer to all the questions of the universe. "It's a give and take, Naruto. You gave me your trust, and I gave you mine. We formed a bond. The first I ever had. It was a gift. You ended my loneliness."

Gaara tucked on her arm and they started walking again. After a few moments of silence, Gaara pointed to a scene to their right. A mother was comforting her crying daughter. She had obviously fallen, her left knee was bleeding. The woman hugged the girl, rocking her and whispered to her soothingly. She spotted Naruto and Gaara watching them.

"Look, Hami", she turned her daughter around, "it's Kazekage-sama."

The small girl, who was called Hami, quickly stopped crying. "Hello, Kazekage-sama!", she said in a high voice; she was not older than five.

Naruto watched as Gaara walked over to the child and knelt down on one knee in front of her. He gently wiped away her tears. The girl smiled at the gesture. Gaara took a fist full of the sand on the ground. Naruto felt him channel some chakra into it and watched how the sand transformed into a beautiful desert rose. He handed the hard flower to the child. Delighted, Hami laughed and forgotten was her bleeding knee.

"Thank you, Kazekage-sama!", she said with a wide smile.

"You're welcome, Hami-chan", Gaara replied in his calm voice and smiled back at the child and her mother. He stood back up and walked over to Naruto.

The blonde girl was astounded at the display. Adoration shone on the child's face, who was now happily chattering to his mother about how much she loved Kazekage-sama.

Gaara looked at her. "Do you see it?"

"Yes."

They continued their walk, but Naruto's question broke the pondering silence between them. "How did you do it? I mean, how did you overcome their hatred?"

"You mean how I can trust these people, although they hated me and wanted me dead? How they deserve my care and trust?"

Naruto just nodded.

"It was not easy to overlook what they had done to me. They made my life a living hell, but you know that." Gaara sighed. "But I imagined what_ I_ would have done in their stead. Imagine it, Naruto. A boy – or a girl in your case – who has a demon sealed inside of him, her. The Kyuubi attacked Konoha and you know that many people died. Their grief blinded them and they were incapable of seeing the child you were. But what would _you_ have done? Would you have seen the demon or the child? I am not defending their actions, Naruto, don't get me wrong. But I don't think you can fully blame them. The memory of the Kyuubi was too fresh in their minds."

The stopped walking in front of what looked like a training ground, but Gaara continued talking. "Grief and the pain of loss causes people to do things they would never think about under different circumstanced. And they will eventually regret what they did. Just look at Sasuke." Her face didn't betray any emotion at the mention of the Uchiha's name. "He lost his whole clan. I can't imagine how painful it still is for him. But he is a very good example of how people can change when confronted with grief and losing your precious people. Just look at yourself. I think you felt the same pain when Sasuke betrayed you."

Naruto listened to the redhead. His words were true and he didn't mean to hurt her, so she didn't feel angry about him mentioning Sasuke. The boy was a sore spot.

"You made me believe in the good of people. You showed me that people can change. So I believed, too. And now I have proof. My village loves me, I know it, because I can feel it everyday. They made me their Kazekage and I will do everything in my power to keep these people save."

He smiled at her once more and spoke his final words on the topic. "I hated these people probably as much as they hated me. The way they treated me, I couldn't help but silently hate them. And I don't believe you, if you tell me that deep within yourself, you never felt the tiniest amount of hatred towards the people of Konoha. We are only humans, Naruto. I have learned that and accepted it. I forgave them for what they did to me, I started trusting them, forming bonds."

He put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly. "Forgive Konoha for what it did to you. It may seem easier said than done, but you will be rewarded, Naruto."

Naruto swallowed against the lump in her throat. Gaara was right. She had felt hatred towards the villagers. Every time they had beaten her, she hated them for it. She hated them when they didn't allow her to step into their store. She hated them when they called her names and when their cold eyes followed her. But she had been a child and they were adults. How could anyone treat a child like that. Grief? Pain of loss? She had felt it, when Sasuke had severed their bond. Would she start believing in bonds again after Gaara's words? It seemed too naïve to just go back to that.

She sighed and swallowed again. She had a lot to think about.

Gaara watched the different emotions run over her beautiful face.

"Come, Naruto." He led her onto the training ground. "It is time to spar now. I have been waiting for a worthy opponent for some time now." He spread his legs hips-wide and summoned his sand from the gourd. Naruto watched with wide eyes as the sand formed a sharp-edged katana.

"I saw that you now have a katana, let's see if you know how to use it." He gave her a seldom smirk, eager to fight the other Jinchuuriki.

Naruto shook off the depressing thoughts. She would have enough time ponder on things later. Right now she was facing an opponent of the likes she had not fought with since she had parted with Jiraiya. This was going to be good. She unsheathed her katana, widening her stance.

Gaara attacked and her sword came up to parry his blow. Her arms shook from the force behind it. She was suddenly very grateful to Jiraiya that he had organized a kenjutsu master for her. The middle-aged man from Lightning Country had trained her in the art of the sword where Jiraiya's knowledge on the topic had ended.

Attacking Gaara and defending herself from his skillful motions, she quickly forgot about the earlier conversation and tuned everything else out, concentrating on the fight.

* * *

><p><strong>Two weeks later:<strong>

Naruto was slowly walking through the desert of the Land of Wind. The sun was mercilessly grilling her, but it affected her less than it should have. Another benefit of being a Jinchuuriki.

She had left Suna in the early morning. Saying good-bye to Gaara had been hard, but Suna and Konoha were only a three-day distance from each other. They had sparred daily and Naruto felt better than ever. Gaara's calm demeanour had soothed her confused mind. Their feral fights had revived her. They eventually had to leave the training ground they had first sparred in. It had taken too much damage. In order to keep Suna safe, the two Jinchuuriki had taken their sessions outside of the Suna fortifications. There was not much they could damage in a desert.

The blonde demon-vessel had thought about Gaara's words and taken them to heart. She would return to Konoha. She was still not too sure, whether it was the right decision. She had a vague idea of what she wanted from the future. She wanted what Gaara had. She was sure about it. A village filled with caring and loving people, no hate directed at her. It had seemed like a dream to her. But maybe she could achieve it, too? She just didn't know how. Forgive the villagers for their hatred? It sounded so easy. She would see, if she could actually go through with it. But for that, she had to go back to Konoha.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt an only vaguely familiar chakra signature getting closer. She stopped walking. Who would approach her in the middle of the desert? She couldn't place the signature, but was sure she had felt it before. Only where?

The person was getting closer. She waited in silence, awaiting whoever it might be.

The figure stopped several feet away. Naruto stared. A figure in a cloak – with red clouds on it. Raven hair, long, in a ponytail. Behind the high collar, she could hardly make out the face, but she knew who she was facing.

"Uchiha Itachi."

* * *

><p>Itachi had found the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. Finally. It had taken longer than he had thought. After all, she was supposed to be travelling with the quite flamboyant Jiraiya. He had not known that she had been on her own for half a year now. But pure chance had directed him to her. He had been assigned a mission in Wind Country and to his surprise he had felt the two Jinchuuriki's chakra. There had been no mistaking the evil chakra of the fox demon and its intense killing intent. It had not been too difficult for him to convince Kisame to leave him alone for a few hours. After all, his fishy partner could use some alone time, too.<p>

Itachi regarded the girl. She was giving off a confident aura. Had he intended on fighting her, he would've been very apprehensive. Uzumaki Naruto was clearly not the child she had been three years ago. In front of him stood a young woman, who knew her power.

"Uzumaki Naruto." He greeted her, inclining his head.

"What do you want, Uchiha?", she snarled.

He would better convince her that he meant no harm or she would attack him. "I don't want to harm you, Naruto-san. Please hear me out."

She barked a mirthless laugh. "Any why would I believe you, _traitor?"_

He flinched at the insult. Of course, she didn't know any better. In her eyes, he was a traitor. He had killed his entire clan. _Except for Sasuke. _"I need your help."

_What? _Her eyes widened at the incredulity of his words. This was clearly some kind of trap. Maybe his partner was hiding somewhere? But she didn't feel his chakra. And she could neither smell nor hear him. And by now she could easily rely on her heightened senses.

"Why would _you _need _my_ help?"

"I need you to help me get Sasuke back to Konoha."

"_What?_", she couldn't help but blurt out.

"I want to bring Sasuke back to Konoha. He is not safe with Orochimaru."

"Oh, how long did it take you to figure _that_ out?", she asked sarcastically.

Itachi stared at her, emotionless.

Naruto thought about his words. "Why would _you_ need _me _to rescue Sasuke?" She couldn't see her role in this. "And why would you want to rescue him in the first place?", she added as an afterthought.

"I made a huge mistake, Naruto-san. I never planned for this to happen. I need your help. _Please."_

Maybe it was his sincere tone of voice or the fact that the word 'please' left his mouth, but Naruto didn't stop Itachi as he took a few steps closer. He was less than ten feet away now.

"So maybe I believe that you want me to help you. But what makes you believe that I can be of use to you in regards to Sasuke?", she asked.

Itachi was surprised at how calm her voice was. She was still apprehensive and suspicious, but maybe she would hear him out? "My little brother is consumed with hatred – and it's my fault. But I know that he still cares about you deeply. In fact, you're his most precious person, Naruto-san."

He saw how her lips curled up into a snarl. "Why would you say that? Don't lie to me, Itachi!", she spat at him. "I know for a fact that Sasuke does _not_ care about me! He never did! _He proved that when he shoved his chidori through my chest!_" She hit her chest with a clenched fist, right over her heart.

Oh. Itachi had not known until now what hat happened between the two young shinobi back then, but now he saw that Sasuke had truly tried to kill her. _That explains the vision of the genjutsu, _Itachi deduced. Obviously, his little brother was regretting his actions. Even if he didn't admit it, the genjutsu had revealed it.

He quickly tried to appease the furious girl in front of him. She could attack him any second, but he needed her to help him. His plans depended on her cooperation.

"I'm not lying to you, Naruto-san. But I can't prove it. You would have to trust me on this."

"_Trust_ you?", she mimicked incredulously.

"Please, Naruto", he begged. His pride was taking damage here, but where had his pride ever gotten him?

"Assuming I believed you, what makes you think _I_ wantto help Sasuke?"

That made Itachi pause. Why wouldn't Naruto want to rescue Sasuke? "He is your closest friend."

The blonde chuckled mirthlessly. "Wrong." Her cold eyes fixed on him. "Sasuke is _not_ my closest friend. Maybe he was at some point. But that became meaningless the moment he abandoned me." She shook her head. "I can't help you, Itachi."

Itachi silently cursed. This was not going the way he had planned. His onyx eyes returned her cold stare. "I have something to offer in return."

"I don't think you have anything I want", misinterpreting his words.

Very slowly, so not to appear suspicious, he pulled out a scroll from the depth of his cloak. He held it up, showing it to Naruto. "This scroll contains information on the Akatsuki. It's yours. If you help me."

Naruto looked at the scroll. Insider information on the Akatsuki... Why would he give this up? Wasn't he part of the criminal organization? "And what if I still don't want to help you?"

Itachi sighed. He needed to convince her. "I'll still give it to you. In fact, I'll give it to you now and you can check it."

"Wait!", Naruto ordered him. She crossed her hands in the familiar hand seal for the _Kage Bunshin no jutsu _(2) and a copy of her appeared to her right. "Toss the scroll to my clone."

_Very clever and very careful,_ Itachi thought and tossed the scroll. The clone caught it.

Nothing happened. No trap so far. "Open it", Naruto told the clone.

The Naruto-clone inspected the scroll. She found no seals or anything that stopped her from opening it. She unrolled the paper. It was written in a very neat kanji. _Probably Itachi's, _the Naruto-clone thought and read the information. There was a list of all the members of Akatsuki. Next to the names were some facts like specialization, partner and former village affiliation. The clone finished reading and tossed the scroll to the original Naruto. She caught it and the clone dispelled, which caused Naruto to receive the information.

"I see", she said. "But tell me, why do you betray the Akatsuki?"

"I only joined them in order to spy on them."

The girl frowned. She didn't believe him.

"Not everything is as it seems, Naruto. When you are back in Konoha, ask your Hokage for the file on the Uchiha massacre. It will reveal everything." His voice was sober and void of any emotion. Naruto saw his eyes shining sadly, though.

"Before I agree to anything, tell me, Itachi. Why is it so important to you that Sasuke returns to Konoha?", the Jinchuuriki inquired.

Itachi felt hopeful and decided to give her a very honest answer. "You will come to know that the Uchiha clan was not as grand as everyone is made to believe. I am ashamed of what I had to do, but it had to be done. But I couldn't make myself kill Sasuke. My otouto, he was innocent. In order to keep him safe, I took all the blame and left Konoha as a traitor. You won't understand my words until you know the whole truth, but explaining in detail now takes too long."

He ran a hand over his eyes, a very human gesture from an Uchiha. "I thought that I could keep Sasuke safe and make him strong, if I told him that he had to take revenge. But I now realize that I pushed him into darkness and made him lead a life of hatred. Avenging our clan by killing me should have made him a hero. But I miscalculated. I pushed him too far. I took his life away from him."

He paused, his sad, onyx eyes watched Naruto's reaction. She was frowning, thoughtful.

"I was a fool to not see this coming." He shook his head in regret. "I want to correct my past mistakes. You're my last hope, Uzumaki Naruto. Please, help me save my beloved otouto."

The obvious pain on his face finally swayed Naruto. She looked at the scroll, away from his pleading eyes.

"Saying I helped you. How would you provide me with further information?"

Itachi allowed himself a second of pure hope. Had he convinced her? "The information will reach you. I have my ways, but you can trust me on it. I hope to be able to send a scroll at least once a month. I give you my word", he promised. "Besides, it will not be until several months from now that I actually require your aid."

"Why not now?"

"There are things in Akatsuki I have to take care of. And the time for Orochimaru to switch bodies draws closer. He must already be very weak. I trust my brother enough to not let Orochimaru take over his body. After all, he desires to get revenge on me. He won't give up his body."

"Are you sure about this?", questioned Naruto.

"Yes, absolutely."

The blonde girl nodded. She was going over his words. Could she trust Itachi? He had said that the circumstances behind the Uchiha massacre were not as they seemed. Maybe he was not at fault? But he _had _confessed to murdering everyone. Well, she would find out when she read the mission report Itachi had mentioned; assuming it really existed.

But was she willing to help him? She was thinking about the information he could provide. It would be more than useful. Already the scroll he had given her would prove very useful. They would have a huge advantage, knowing the organization's strategies, strengths and weaknesses. Akatsuki was going after the Bijuus. And that was unfortunately pretty much everything they knew about them. Itachi's information could change everything. Instead of waiting for Akatsuki to make their moves, they could move first and have the upper hand.

Naruto's decision was made. She stored the scroll in her pocket. "I will help you in exchange for information. If I find it to be not enough or incorrect, I won't help you."

Itachi admired how much the girl had changed. He clearly remembered the loud-mouthed, clumsy thirteen-year old brat she had been. But Naruto had grown up. He nodded his head, agreeing to her terms.

"Fine", she said and closed the distance between them. She lifted her right hand, holding it out, waiting for Itachi to take it.

He took it. They stared into each other's eyes, shaking hands, both squeezing lightly, showing that neither of them would back down.

"We have a deal, Uchiha Itachi. But let me remind you that I don't do this for Sasuke. I only do this for the information." Her intense blue eyes were cold and hard.

Itachi forced himself to let emotion show in his gaze, as he returned the stare. "Deal", he said. Then he smiled at her. "Thank you, Uzumaki Naruto."

She nodded and released his hand.

Itachi nodded to her once more in good-bye and jumped away, leaving her alone again in the hot desert.

Naruto shook her head. Had this really just happened? Had she really just agreed to aiding Uchiha Itachi in retrieving Sasuke?

Her feet started walking again, carrying her closer to Konoha with every step. Just half an hour ago, she had still not been sure whether returning to Konoha was the right decision. But now, a man she had considered one of her greatest enemies, had unknowingly given her a new purpose.

And suddenly, Naruto knew what she wanted to do in the future. With her new goal in mind and newly-found vigour, she quickened her steps.

She was going back to Konoha. Home? _Maybe. _Time would show.

* * *

><p>(1) <em>Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu: Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.<em>

(2) _Kage Bunshin no jutsu: Shadow Clone Technique. (I think we all know that one)_


	7. Chapter 7

**The author says: **Hello guys, here comes chapter 7 for you!

Thanks to all the lovely people who reviewed! I can't believe that there are already over 70 reviews in total! I never imagined this story to get at least twenty reviews :D I'm beginning to think that it might be possible to get over 100 reviews for this! With your help and appreciation, of course ;)

Enjoy chapter 7!

**I don't own Naruto.**

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><p><strong>'He had no idea'<strong>

**Chapter 7**

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><p><em><strong>Now there's no way back from the things you've done<br>I know it's too late to stop the setting sun.  
>You see the shadows in the distant light,<br>And it's never going to be alright  
>And you know, and you know, and you know I'm right.<strong>_

_**And I won't get left behind, when the walls come tumbling in  
>I'll keep climbing, I'll keep climbing<br>The rain's going to follow you wherever you go.  
>The clouds go black and the thunder rolls<br>And I see lightning, and I see lightning.**_

**- 'Silver lining' by Hurts**

* * *

><p>Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu were on guard duty. Again. They seemed to be assigned with watching the gates of Konoha more than any other ninja in the village. While Izumo took pride in this duty, Kotetsu was often found slacking off, too bored to pay much attention to the coming and leaving people.<p>

This evening however, even Kotetsu liked being on guard duty for once. Sometimes it granted you very useful information. They were always the first people to see who entered the village. They needed to ask for names, status and the reason for the visit.

So both chuunin were rather curious about the dark-clad person that approached the huge gates of Konoha. The sun had almost disappeared beyond the horizon and the remaining light was casting shadows everywhere. They were about to close the gates for the night and it was only mere minutes until guard change.

The lonely figure stopped in front of the guard house, obediently waiting for the two guards to grant entrance. Izumo and Kotetsu shared a nervous glance. There was a certain aura around this person. Although they couldn't quite put their finger on what it was exactly... somehow they just knew to better not mess with whoever it was. They stood up from their sitting position. It felt better to face the dark figure on their feet.

"State your name and business, please, sir... um... lady?", Izumo, confused about the person's gender, looked at his partner, seeking help. Kotetsu just shrugged, shaking his head. He had no idea either. The body was hidden under a cloak that made it impossible to tell, if they were dealing with a man or a woman.

The person chuckled softly. A wide hood hid the face and hair from view. It fell into the person's face, leaving the eyes and nose in shadows. The black cloak moved and an elegant hand appeared, to pull away the hood.

"Did you already forget me?" A definitely female voice answered.

The hood fell away to reveal sunny blonde hair, that shimmered golden in the light of the small lamp hanging in the guard's station. Ocean blue eyes were fixed on the two chuunin expectantly. A smirk was on the full, pink lips.

"Na-Naruto?", Kotetsu stared. There was no mistaking these whiskered cheeks.

"The one and only", Naruto answered in a neutral tone, no happiness in her words.

"Pheeew", Kotetsu let out the breath he had been holding, swiping a hand over his forehead, "you really scared us there for a moment, Naruto!"

Izumo shot his friend a reproachful look. This was only Naruto! The village's idiot! Whatever they had first assumed, the person in front of them was certainly not posing a danger.

The blonde girl scratched her head sheepishly; her grin though, looked forced on the grimacing face.

"What's up with the cloak, Naruto?", Kotetsu wanted to know, eyeing the dark piece of cloth curiously.

Naruto shrugged. She had come to value the cloak while travelling on her own. People tended to stay clear of shady-looking people. It had granted her some kind of privacy on the road. The wide hood also helped a lot in hiding her eye-catching blonde hair, providing anonymity.

The two chuuin wrote down her name on the list of people entering Konoha and waved good-bye as the girl left, immediately jumping on the nearby roof of a house, seemingly headed in the direction of the Hokage tower.

Kotetsu and Izumo followed the retreating figure with thoughtful eyes. They couldn't deny that they initially had been cautious about the dark-clad person. There had undoubtedly been something different about the girl. Although she had grinned at them, the cheeriness that had once surrounded her had been replaced by something else... They weren't able to fathom what it was, though.

"She didn't wear her Konoha forehead protector", Izumo quietly noticed, remembering how she used to wear it on her forehead.

Kotetsu nodded at his friend. He then shook off the feeling of uneasiness. Their shift was over. Once they had closed the gates, all thoughts on Naruto were forgotten.

* * *

><p><em>Konoha.<em> Naruto was back. After three years she was finally stepping foot into the village she had called home for the longest part of her life. Her sharp eyes took in the shadows around her as she was roof-jumping towards the Hokage tower. As far as she could see, the village had not changed much. Very few people were on the streets, due to the late hour. But Naruto guessed that Tsunade was still working; the woman's attitude had probably not changed over the time, which meant she still had to stay up late to finish all her paperwork.

In the distance, Naruto saw that Tsunade's face had been added to the Hokage monument. How often had she dreamed of seeing her own face looking back at her from these stones? Uncountable times. Seeing it now, she tried her best to feel anything. She had not returned to become Hokage. That was a goal for another time. Maybe. Right now, she had more important plans to pursue.

* * *

><p>Once again, Tsunade was in her office after dark. As much as she hated the long hours she spent in this room, the latest development had changed her opinion on this.<p>

The blonde Hokage was giggling like a schoolgirl. She was sitting on the large chair behind her huge desk – or rather she was sitting on Jiraiya's lap, while Jiraiya was sitting on the chair. Her legs were swinging joyfully back and forth – like a schoolgirl indeed – while Jiraiya's lips were trailing kisses along her neck, down to her shoulder. Without putting any effort into her pushes, she tried to make the white-haired man stop.

"Not in the office, Jiraiya!", she giggled a protest, but couldn't suppress a low moan as Jiraiya nibbled on her earlobe. He had soon discovered that this was one of her more sensitive areas.

Too absorbed in each other and their playful foreplay, they both jerked at the sound of someone clearing his throat rather forcefully.

Their heads snapped around, facing the window.

There, balancing in a crouching position on the windowsill, was Naruto – a red-faced, embarrassed-looking Naruto. But still – _Naruto_!

"Naruto!" With a joyous shriek, Tsunade pealed herself off Jiraiya and had closed the distance between her and the missing girl in two big steps. She pulled the girl off the windowsill and into her arms; against the huge bust that only seconds ago had received a thorough treatment by Jiraiya.

Naruto returned the eager hug. She felt warm at Tsunade's way of openly showing her that she had missed her.

Finally Tsunade released her gaki and Naruto was able to catch a good look of a reasonably disgruntled Jiraiya, who seemed to be quite disappointed that Naruto had interrupted. "Your timing sucks, brat", he muttered, but a fond smile lit up his face at the sight of his returned student.

Naruto smiled back. She had not realized that she had missed the flamboyant man.

"Welcome back, Naruto!", Tsunade said. Angrily, she added, "What took you so damn long, gaki?"

Then, without warning, her fist shot out to bump the girl on the head to make her anger known, like she used to. However, this time, her fist didn't connect with her aim. Instead, Tsunade found her wrist caught in a death grip.

Surprised, Tsunade followed the line of Naruto's extended arm, which had stopped her own from hitting the girl, to the blonde's face. Tsunade's breath hitched for a second at the expression in Naruto's eyes. But it was gone in an instant. Still, Tsunade would definitely refrain from hitting the girl in the future.

Naruto, realizing that she had acted without thinking of who was standing in front of her, flashed a grin at the astounded Hokage. "Huh, sorry, baa-chan. New habit." She rubbed her neck sheepishly. Trying to break the tension she had unintentionally created, she quickly added, "So, I see that Ero-sennin finally confessed to you, huh?"

Tsunade only stared at the girl as she gave a perfect imitation of Jiraiya's typical suggestive brow-wiggling. A vein appeared on the Fifth's head. Naruto suggestively wiggling her eyebrows like Jiraiya was not amusing her. She just hoped that Jiraiya hadn't corrupted her innocent daughter-figure in any other way.

Jiraiya chose that moment to interfere and got up from the chair he was still sitting in. He strolled over to the two women and was about to hug his new lover around the waist from behind, when a warning glare from Tsunade made him pull his hands back to his side. Instead, he went over to ruffle Naruto's hair.

He regarded her for a moment, then placed a hand affectionately on her shoulder. "You're back. So I assume, you found what you were looking for?" His face was serious. Had the girl found herself again? Had she found answers to all her questions? Or at least did she finally know what she was planning for the future?

Naruto returned his questioning but comforting eyes. She saw genuine concern for her in his gaze. For the second time that evening, a warm feeling was creeping up inside of her. Maybe coming back to Konoha had been the right decision after all? On the other hand, these two people had always supported her, even before she had left. She didn't know yet how the rest of Konoha was going to react to her return.

"Yes", she finally replied, "I think I did."

Tsunade was watching the two; master and student. She had a vague idea of what this silent conversation was about, but she didn't interrupt them. Both obviously needed the moment. It also gave her the opportunity to take a closer look at her daughter-figure.

Naruto's hair was pulled back into a neat bun. Tsunade had not seen the look on the girl before. It made her look older, somehow more mature. Even her messy bangs that usually framed her beautiful face, were pulled back. A little alarmed, she noticed that the forehead protector was missing. She quickly remembered that Jiraiya had told her that Naruto had stopped wearing it almost as soon as they had left Konoha. The Hokage's hazel eyes took in Naruto's clothes. Her whole body was covered by a loose-fitting black cloak, which seemed to have a wide hood.

She had to stop her assessment of the young woman, as she saw Jiraiya heading over to her desk. To her irritation, the Sannin quickly stole the sake bottle stashed in her secret drawer and filled three glasses with the intoxicating liquid. Before she knew it, a glassed was shoved in her hand and she only watched in quiet amazement as both Jiraiya and Naruto downed the glass in one go.

She dead-panned and the vein started twitching again on her forehead. And here Tsunade had been hoping that Jiraiya had not corrupted her poor girl. Silently fuming, she emptied her glass in a well-trained motion.

The three settled on the chairs around Tsunade's desk, Jiraiya already refilling their glasses.

"So, gaki, I suppose you're here to stay?", Tsunade broke the sake-filled silence.

"Yes", Naruto answered, "I have a lot to do."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow in question.

Naruto nodded and took off the loose cloak to reveal the clothes underneath.

Tsunade, laying eyes on her outfit, choked on her sake. "What are you wearing, gaki?"

Jiraiya chuckled, apparently amused. "I told you she grew up, Tsunade-hime." A self-satisfied smirk was on his strong features. But secretly, he was ogling his female student, as well. He had not seen this outfit on her before.

"Hehe", Naruto chuckled nervously. Her clothes had changed again. The outfit she was currently wearing had been given to her by one fierce kunoichi by the name of Temari, Gaara's sister. Thanks to Naruto and Gaara's passionate spars, Naruto's clothes had disintegrated into very many pieces. Temari had deemed them no longer wearable. Claiming Naruto looked way too plain anyway, she had changed her outfit to her liking. Naruto had gulped the first time she had seen herself in a mirror. Gaara had quickly left the shop with a very red face, while Kankuro had only whistled in appreciation. Over the last two weeks, Naruto had learned to not feel uncomfortable in the clothes and by now she even liked them.

The blonde was still wearing the black leather pants Jiraiya had given her; she valued them too much. They were just so much more practical; even if they drew a lot of glances due to how tight they were. Her hands were also still protected by the fingerless black gloves. New was the dark belly top that covered the upper part of her body – and left her midriff bare. It ended just under her breasts, not showing any cleavage, but white bandages, which Naruto had bound around her chest instead of wearing a bra. It was just easier for a kunoichi to move in. And although the top and bandages were covering all the important parts in a decent way, Tsunade was quite shocked at the sight. She had never imagined the girl to go from the bulky orange jumpsuit to... well, this.

Naruto eyed Tsunade's reaction. Naruto knew that her new outfit was totally different from three years ago. But _she_ was totally different from three years ago, too. While she had been hiding behind the orange jumpsuit during her childhood, she now felt that she no longer needed to do so. It had nothing to do with vanity – although she had grown into an exceptionally beautiful young woman and the fierce training had resulted in her having a nicely toned body. She didn't intend to get attention by wearing less, but she no longer cared in case she did. Ino and Sakura had been wearing less than she currently was already three years ago! It was just another change. If most were unremarkable in comparison, this one was definitely visible on first glance.

Tsunade eventually stopped staring and concentrated on what Naruto was doing. The girl was taking a scroll from her back pouch. She unrolled the scroll; the seal in the middle of the paper indicated that it was a storing scroll. Naruto made a single hand sign and unsealed another scroll. Again, she unrolled the paper and in the middle of this paper was another seal. This one was more intricate, though. The blonde bit her thumb and smeared some blood on the seal. Whatever was sealed in this scroll, Tsunade was sure that it was something important; what else would you use a blood seal for.

Naruto summoned yet another scroll. This one was black on the outside, with red markings. Naruto held it up for Jiraiya and Tsunade to see. "Before I tell you what this is, I need you, Tsunade, to send out your ANBU and seal the room."

It turned out that Tsunade had sent away her ANBU already some time ago and Naruto remembered the private scene she had stumbled upon. Surely no ANBU wanted to watch the two old Sannin exploring their new-found love for each other.

Once the office was sound-proof, Tsunade and Jiraiya looked at the sixteen-year old in front of them expectantly. The blonde held up the scroll and tossed it on the desk between them. Tsunade grabbed it and Jiraiya moved closer to her, reading the content of the scroll from over her shoulder.

Their eyes skimmed the scroll and Tsunade finally looked up, a puzzled look on her face. "Where did you get this, Naruto?"

It was the scroll containing the information on the Akatsuki. The scroll Itachi had given her. Naruto had pondered about telling them of the scroll's origin for the last two days. On one hand, she wanted to be honest with them, but on the other hand, she knew that they would try to convince her that trusting Itachi was a bad idea. And maybe it was a bad idea, but she had made a deal with him and somehow she knew that she could trust him. As stupid as this was sounding even to herself, the pain and love that had showed in Itachi's eyes while talking about Sasuke had been too real. No one could possibly fake that. And she still had to confirm what he had said about everything not being as it seemed about the Uchiha massacre. She still needed to find out what this was about. Until she had either a confirmation of him telling the truth or him lying, she would not reveal the origin of the information.

"I can't tell you right now-", she held up a hand, telling the others to shut up, as both Sannin opened their mouths to voice their objection. "I can't tell you yet", she repeated with a look that told them she really wouldn't tell them now, "but I promise I'll eventually tell you. I just need to confirm certain facts first. This information, though, is reliable."

Jiraiya trusted Naruto enough not to question her opinion. He was probably the person who knew her best right now. If Naruto judged the information to be reliable, he would accept it. After all, he'd trust her with his life. However, he couldn't help but marvel at how easily Naruto had just shut the two seasoned shinobi up with a single gesture of a hand. He chuckled inwardly as he realized that he had not even tried to question her authority in this situation. Taking control seemed to come natural to her. _So much like your father_, Jiraiya thought, at the same time pained and yet amazed.

Her voice was steady and serious as she explained what she was planning to do. _Great plans indeed, _Jiraiya thought, while listening. He had hoped that his godchild would find back to herself. And he was sure that to some extent she had, but still not entirely. The smiles she gave them did not yet reach her eyes each time and she also seemed to be too tense.

Naruto finished her explanation – or rather demand – and Tsunade found herself gaping at the girl in front of her. She quickly closed her mouth and put two fingers under her chin in her favourite thinking-pose. Naruto's plans were way too dangerous for her liking. It would be very difficult to convince the council to approve of this. Although Tsunade was the Hokage, the council still held enough power to forbid this. She might be responsible for assigning missions, but if the council disagreed with for example the shinobi she had chosen for a certain mission, it was easy for them to oppose her and have someone else go instead. Considering that the council kept an especially close eye on the demon container, Naruto's plans were even more likely to be opposed by them. Maybe she could somehow find a way to stop them from interfering? She needed to be the only one to be able to assign missions to Naruto... The figurative light bulb lit up in her head. The only shinobi in Konoha she had absolute power over, were the ANBU. With exception of Root, which was supposedly eliminated, all ANBU members primarily reported to the Hokage. The council had almost no say in missions concerning the Hokage's personal forces. And with that, Tsunade had found a nice solution. It was actually a really good one, which only helped Naruto's plans.

Tsunade gave Naruto a conspiratorial smile. "Prepare yourself to become an ANBU, gaki."

* * *

><p><strong>Two days later:<strong>

"Did you hear?", Ino whispered, leaning over the table, shielding her mouth with one hand from listening ears.

"Hear what?", Chouji prompted, while chewing on a piece of meat.

The old Team Ten had met for dinner in their traditional barbecue restaurant. Team Ten did no longer exist, all of the three were now pursuing different paths. Ino was apprenticing under her father, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Morino Ibiki in the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Unit. Chouji was on active duty in a team with two other chuunin and a jounin captain. Shikamaru was mostly avoiding any kind of troublesome work, but had accepted Tsunade's demand to help with planning the next chuunin exams. As they seldom found the time to see each other in this constellation, they often made appointments for dinner. Their old sensei Sarutobi Asuma joined them most of the times, but today the jounin was on a mission.

"I heard two of our customers talk about it today", Ino stated mysteriously. The bleach-blonde still helped out at the family-owned Yamanaka flower shop, whenever her working hours allowed it. Thanks to talkative customers, Ino had a steady income of gossip.

"About what?", Chouji asked again. The boys knew that Ino loved it when they appeared to be interested in her latest piece of information. So they played along, wondering what dirty little secret they'd find out this time.

Ino grinned behind her hand. " This one's really good! I still can't believe it myself! And I'm also a bit mad at her for not telling us." She frowned.

The boys let out a simultaneous sigh. Ino just loved to spread her gossip. Before she could get angry about their lack of real interest, Chouji took pity on the blonde and asked again, "What is it, Ino? I'm _so_ curious." Next to the Akimichi, Shikamaru was rolling his eyes at his friend's poor acting skills.

Ino, either ignoring the poor attempt to please her or just not realizing it, gave a little squeal and leaned even closer, almost burning her bust on the barbecue. "Okay, listen! There were these two women in the shop today. One of them was buying red roses and the other was asking about those blue flowers we had last week and she –"

"Ino!", Shikamaru suddenly barked, "just get to the point!" The Nara was usually the last, who would willingly ask her to tell him someone else's secrets, but this was just getting annoying. Whatever it was, Ino was obviously excited about it. She was making quite the fuss about this.

"Oh, Shikamaru, I had no idea that you were so interested!", she said sarcastically, a little annoyed about how he had interrupted her explanation that had only slightly drifted off topic. "But if you really want to know it so badly, I'll just tell you!"

She gave both of the boys a pointed look and then revealed the 'big secret'. "Naruto is back."

Two pairs of eyes stared at her. Then Chouji shrugged, chewing his food and silently helped himself to another piece of meat. "So when did she come back?", he asked, obviously unfazed. He thought it had been only a matter of time until the loud-mouthed blonde returned. That didn't mean he didn't care for her return, he just didn't understand why Ino was being so secretive about it.

Shikamaru was squinting his intelligent eyes at Ino, not feeling as indifferent about this as his best friend did. "Are you sure, Ino?"

"Yes, at least that's what the women said", she explained, "And why would they lie about it, right?"

_Yes,_ the genius mused, _why would anyone lie about this?_ He saw no reason for them to spread a rumour such as this. Shikamaru had sensed how the village had been strangely peaceful for the last three years; how the civilians had whispered about the 'demon being finally gone'. He had not yet concluded what they had meant, but it was definitely related to Naruto and her absence.

Considering how the village had reacted to Naruto's departure, he couldn't help but wonder why the people were so restrained about her return. After all, Naruto was the loudest and most obnoxious ninja in Konoha. Wouldn't there have been some kind of uproar? Surely, her orange jumpsuit was rather flashy and if she had really returned, wouldn't he have seen her already?

Before Shikamaru knew it, they had paid their bill and Chouji was offering to walk Ino home. Shikamaru waved a distracted good-bye and headed in the opposite direction. There was a very troublesome person, who would know for sure, if Naruto was back.

* * *

><p>"So you heard it, huh?", the grey-haired jounin guessed, giving Shikamaru a single-eyed look.<p>

The Nara nodded at the man, that was probably just as lazy as the boy himself. "When did she return?"

Kakashi gave the chuunin, that had appeared on his doorstep some minutes ago, his famous eye-smile. "Oh, Shikamaru, the question should be 'when _will_ Naruto return again'?"

A frown appeared on the Nara's irritated face. "So she is _not_ back?" He had thought so; the women in Ino's parents' flower shop had been wrong.

"Well", Kakashi said, acting like his usual aloof self, "she _was_ back. But she left again."

Shikamaru intently gazed at the jounin. Was Naruto's former sensei trying to make fun of him? But for what reason? "When did she leave again? And _why_?" His irritation was growing with each word. It was just too troublesome to talk to this man.

Kakashi gave him another eye-smile. "Oh, Naruto returned the day before yesterday", he stated casually, "and she left again. Yesterday", he added, like it was no big deal.

The Nara heir's brain was trying to make sense of the situation. If what the jounin told him was correct, then it was no surprise that Naruto's return had not caused a scandal. No one had probably seen her at all in the mere hours she had spent in Konoha. But how did the rumour of her return spread? Maybe the guards had seen her as she had entered the village? Of course she would've been questioned at the gates before being allowed into Konoha. Mentally nodding to himself at his conclusion, he concentrated on Kakashi again.

"So, you say she only returned to leave again? Why would she do that?" Shikamaru saw no sense behind her actions; but they were talking about Naruto after all; with her, almost anything was possible. And Kakashi seemed rather unbothered by her very short visit after three full years. But had he ever seen the jounin being actually bothered by anything?

"She left on personal business", Kakashi said, not revealing the girl's reasons.

Automatically, Shikamaru's over-sized brain began working again. Personal business could mean a lot. Kakashi's answer wasn't helpful. His thoughts were interrupted, as the jounin's free eye focused on him. The eye-smile faded and a serious look replaced it.

"Why are you asking, Shikamaru?", the jounin wanted to know.

Well, Shikamaru guessed he was just curious – wait! Shikamaru and _curious_? _Troublesome._ Being curious was not at all like him. _That's something new._ But thinking back, he remembered how Naruto had had this effect on him before already. He had been very curious after the incident in the alleyway. After she had been beaten. He had even paid a visit to the Hokage to ask about it. _How troublesome,_ he realized. What was it about Naruto that made him act so out of character?

Remembering Kakashi's question, he answered. "It's very bothersome, but there are a few things I want to ask her." _About why people refer to her as 'demon' and why the villagers hate her so much, _he added silently in his mind.

The grey-haired man's gaze was piercing him, trying to read the Nara's irritated face. _The kid is too clever for his own good,_ Kakashi thought. He had the suspicion that Shikamaru was very close to discovering Naruto's secret. If any of Naruto's former class mates would find out about the Kyuubi on their own, it would be Shikamaru. With his intelligence and perceiving nature, it was actually a wonder that he hadn't picked up on it yet.

"Tell me, Shikamaru, why do you care about Naruto so much?", the jounin wanted to know, his single eye still regarding the chuunin coolly.

Unknowingly, Shikamaru had been asked the almost exact question three years ago in Tsunade's office. After asking all the questions about Naruto being beaten, Jiraiya had asked the Nara why he was worried about Naruto. And unknowingly, he now gave the almost exact answer. Shrugging lazily, he said, "Why wouldn't I care about her? I consider her a good friend of mine."

The pineapple-haired boy thought he saw a look of appreciation flash through Kakashi's single dark eye, but it was gone too soon to be sure of it. Kakashi's scrutinizing gaze vanished and the famous eye-smile was back in place. "I'm glad you say that", he smiled.

Knowing he would get nothing more than more vague answers from the jounin, Shikamaru nodded his head in good-bye and went to the door of Kakashi's apartment. He was about to close the door behind him and leave, when he heard the man speak up again.

"Naruto will be back in four weeks."

Shikamaru met the man's eye, nodding in thanks at the information and left.

Kakashi watched the boy leave his apartment. He kept staring at the closed door for several minutes. Naruto had paid him a visit right after she had talked to Tsunade and Jiraiya about her plans for the future. Kakashi had been more than glad to see the girl in one piece. He had been worried about his former student. While Konoha didn't know that the Sannin had returned without the girl already six months, Tsunade and Jiraiya had told Kakashi. He had been sad to hear about Naruto's confused state of mind. And seeing her last night, he had seen the changes in the girl. She had spent the night sleeping on his couch, becasue she didn't want to sleep in her own apartment yet. Tsunade had told her that she'd leave again the next morning, so cleaning her apartment was only a waste of time.

Naruto had come back with plans that were dangerous, to say the least. But Kakashi knew that if anyone could do this, it was Naruto. However, to go through with her plans, she needed to leave again; but Tsunade had limited the time to four weeks. Four weeks of training. Again? Yes, again. While Kakashi didn't know yet how strong the girl had become during her absence, she still needed special kind of training. Tsunade wanted to make her an ANBU; and ANBU needed to know more than the average jounin. So they had gotten Naruto yet another sensei.

A sensei with the name of Mitarashi Anko. Kakashi thought the young woman was a good choice to introduce Naruto to the ANBU. In her early years, Anko had been the only student of Orochimaru. But after Orochimaru had branded her with the first version of his Cursed Seal of Heaven, she had returned to the Konoha. To some degree, the villagers' hatred towards Anko had been as fierce as towards Naruto. Both knew how it felt to be despised, to receive hateful looks and to be the pariah. With time, the villagers had learned to accept Anko again, and the young woman felt only slight distrust directed at her at times. As Anko was an ANBU, Tsunade had deemed it a good pairing. And knowing Naruto and Anko, Tsunade had probably foreseen that it would be good to both of them to be around the other. Anko would also be Naruto's first female sensei; maybe the blonde could learn more from her than battle tactics, ANBU strategies and team leadership.

Although Kakashi had approved of the training, he also knew that Anko was a very strict and – in his opinion – more than mildly insane sensei. Still, Anko was one of the most respected jounin in Konoha and Naruto could learn a lot from the purple-haired woman. Even if she was insane. But people had said similar things about Naruto. A good match indeed.

* * *

><p>One week after Naruto had left Konoha once again to train under Anko, Tsunade received a scroll delivered to her by one of Naruto's toad summons. Once again, it was already late in the evening and once again, there was still light in Tsunade's office. Sighing at the circumstances in which she found herself too often these days, she unrolled the scroll after pressing her bleeding thumb on the seal that reacted exclusively to Tsunade's blood. Trying her best to decipher Naruto's incredibly bad handwriting, she skimmed the page.<p>

Tsunade had expected this scroll. Naruto's plans depended on her having a very reliable team of most capable shinobi. The Hokage had given Naruto permission to choose freely from all shinobi in Konoha. This decision must not be made rashly. Naruto's – and probably even Konoha's – future depended on it.

The scroll contained a list of the three people Naruto had chosen as her future team mates. Next to the three names were short explanations for why she had chosen the named person. The explanations showed her that the girl had seriously thought about this decision. Maybe she had even asked Kakashi's opinion on it before she had left.

Tsunade couldn't suppress an appreciative smile. She remembered the three people on that list very well. She highly approved of Naruto's choice.

And at least one of them was in for a very troublesome surprise.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading everyone! :)<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**The author says: **Hello my lovely readers, this is chapter 8 for you :)

The last chapter received a lot of positive feedback and I thank you all so much! Every single review makes me smile! ^^

Oh and here's a promise for you: I won't abandon this fic! I promise to finish it! I don't know yet how long it's going to take, considering that university starts again in two weeks, but it will be finished!

And now, happy reading!

**I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

><p><strong>'He had no idea'<strong>

**Chapter 8**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Come gather 'round people<br>Wherever you roam  
>And admit that the waters<br>Around you have grown  
>And accept it that soon<br>You'll be drenched to the bone  
>If your time to you<br>Is worth savin'  
>Then you better start swimmin'<br>Or you'll sink like a stone  
>For the times they are a-changin'.<em> **

**- 'The Times They Are A-Changing' by Bob Dylan**

* * *

><p>"The time to transfer bodies is close, Sasuke-kun", the snake Sannin's voice sounded exhausted, as if it cost him a lot of energy to even speak. "Kukuku", he chuckled weakly, "I will finally possess the perfect body."<p>

A fit of coughing shook Orochimaru's sick body. Droplets of spit flew from his mouth, spraying his blanket and hands. His head lolled back against the headboard of the large bed he was half lying, half sitting in. The amber snake-like eyes closed limply.

Sasuke stared at his sensei with a look of pure revulsion and contempt on his handsome face.

Orochimaru looked beyond pathetic. Sasuke couldn't believe the man's words. Was that weakling really still thinking he'd give his body to a man that was nothing but a shadow of his former self? Sasuke couldn't deny that Orochimaru had taught him everything he knew and that he had been a formidable master. The raven truly believed that he would never have acquired the same level of skill and power, if he had stayed in Konoha. Training under the legendary Sannin had brought him closer to reaching his goal of killing Itachi as ever before. Aside from that, there was nothing left to learn from him.

Sasuke had the strong feeling that he had surpassed his teacher. Looking down at the form of the weakened man, a feeling of superiority filled him. Right now, Orochimaru was inferior to Sasuke; he was sure of that. They hadn't sparred in weeks, because of Orochimaru's decreasing health, but Sasuke knew that in his worn-out state the Sannin was no match for him and his Sharingan.

How could Orochimaru still think that he had anything to offer to Sasuke? The voice of doubt that had accompanied the boy since his first year in Otogakure, was cheering him on. This voice of doubt had become stronger inside of him with each passing day. Giving his body to a man that had nothing left to offer to Sasuke but certain death and possession, was out of the question.

Had he ever honestly intended to let himself be _killed_ in order to get power? He realized that this whole idea had lacked logic from the very start. _Maybe Naruto was right..._ But no, all thoughts on Naruto had been banned from his mind since the day Itachi had caught him in the genjutsu, showing him the girl dying in his arms. The picture of her closing her eyes forever and telling him that she hated him had haunted him for months afterwards. His dreams had been filled with her dimming blue eyes, that held so much accusation and hatred, directed at him. It had taken all of his willpower to push those images to the farthest corner of his mind. Why was he thinking about her again now? Was it because he was going through a moment of uncertainty? Because he saw that the girl had been right in telling him that handing over his body was not the right solution? So maybe she had been right... But this didn't change anything. And it was not like he'd ever get the chance to admit it to her anyway. Sasuke shook his head to dispel all thoughts on Naruto; leaving him a bit irritated.

Killing Itachi and getting revenge was his major goal, always had been. Maybe he actually did consider giving up his body in exchange for power at one point. But he held all the power he needed in his own hands now. He was no longer dependent on Orochimaru. _Maybe you never depended on him in the first place? _There it was again! The voice of doubt... Annoyingly clear in Sasuke's head. Would he ever get rid of it?

Turning his head away from the man on the bed, Sasuke quietly left the room. Kabuto was already preparing Orochimaru's current body for the transfer and it was only a matter of days, maybe hours even, until Kabuto would ask Sasuke to get prepared, too.

He wouldn't let that happen. He had come to a decision. Sasuke knew what he had to do. And he had probably less than twenty-four hours to do so.

* * *

><p>Haruno Sakura was sorting through the piles of paper on her master's desk. To the neat pink-haired girl it was a miracle how Tsunade managed to make such a mess all the time. Today, it seemed as if the chaos was even more messier than usual... Maybe it had something to do with Tsunade's new lover, she mused, but very quickly shook her head to forget about the image of Tsunade and Jiraiya using the desk for anything else than paperwork.<p>

It was Sakura's third year as Tsunade's apprentice and although Tsunade openly disliked her for what she had done to Naruto, the Hokage was a fair master and whatever grudge she was holding against her pupil, she tried her best to suppress it during lessons. At first, Sakura had been very apprehensive of the violent Hokage. She didn't know why one of The Legendary Sannin would choose a girl like her, from a civilian family, as her personal apprentice. Moreover, she knew that the blonde barely tolerated her since Sakura's merciless denunciation of Naruto.

It was only thanks to Kakashi that Sakura had gotten this chance and she was more than grateful to her former sensei, even if said man avoided her for the same reasons Tsunade despised her, too. Apparently, the grey-haired man had recommended Sakura and her skills in chakra control. Tsunade had generously granted the pinkette to be tested, assuming that Sakura wouldn't meet her requirements. To Tsunade's dismay – she just couldn't stand the girl – Sakura had proven to have a talent for medical jutsu and her vast book knowledge was helpful as well. Even if she lacked physical and combat skills, Tsunade had admitted that the girl had potential and taken her on as an apprentice. During the time with her, Tsunade had also seen how Sakura tried her best to redeem herself in Tsunade's eyes. She was a very hard-working pupil and Tsunade approved of her fierce dedication.

Sakura saw that her master's secret stash of sake had been emptied once again and made a mental note to refill it. Satisfied with the re-established order on the Hokage's desk, she was about to leave the office, when Tsunade entered through the door, followed by a very bored looking Nara.

"Sakura", the blonde barked, "please leave and I don't want to be bothered for the next half an hour or so."

Surprised about the abrupt dismissal, Sakura shot a curious glance at Shikamaru, silently wondering what could be so important that Tsunade didn't want Sakura to hear it. Being the Hokage's apprentice had granted her useful insight into the daily workings of the village and the duties and responsibilities of being Hokage. Tsunade didn't mind her being in the room when she assigned missions or received messengers from other countries. So to not displease her master, Sakura left with a quick, "Yes, Tsunade-shishou!", and shut the door behind her.

* * *

><p>Tsunade regarded the chuunin in front of her, Nara Shikamaru. Once again, the lazy genius was in her office. Over the last weeks he had been a great help in organizing the next chuunin exams and successfully tightening the relationships between Konoha and Suna. She was annoyed about the fact that she would have to do without him in the future, but the genius was needed for more important things.<p>

Two 'poofs' and the tell-tale white smoke announced the arrival of the other two persons she had been waiting for. The smoke cleared and revealed two ANBU members. Both were kneeling on one knee in front of her desk, heads bowed, awaiting orders like every obedient ANBU. "Hokage-sama", the greeted with one voice.

"At ease", Tsunade ordered and the two shinobi stood up straight, standing next to Shikamaru.

Both of them wore the traditional black and grey ANBU uniform, consisting of the metal armour and arm guards. The taller of the two wore a Tiger mask. His long black-brown hair reached the middle of his back. The second man had shaggy brown hair and a Bear mask hid his face.

Although the uniforms and the masks were supposed to assure the ANBU's anonymity, Shikamaru had the sneaking suspicion that he knew the two males next to him. After all, he had grown up with them.

"Tiger, Bear, remove your masks", Tsunade ordered again and without hesitation, the two revealed their faces. Indeed, Shikamaru knew the two, who were now nodding at him in greeting. While in their uniforms and masked, they were not allowed to reveal their identity by small things such as acknowledging an old friend.

"Nara Shikamaru, Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Neji", the Hokage addressed the three assembled men. "There are several things I want to discuss with you." A frown appeared on her face. Rethinking, she corrected herself, "In fact, there's no room for discussion, as everything has already been decided. So I'll just tell you."

Wondering where this was going, the three expectantly looked at their Hokage.

"The three of you will form a team. Effective from now on." No objections followed her words, but thanks to his intelligence, Shikamaru was quick to realize that in order for the three to form a team, either Neji and Kiba needed to be demoted to normal jounin or Shikamaru would be promoted to ANBU. Shikamaru had the uneasy feeling that whatever came next, would be very troublesome for him.

The irritation must've shown on his bored face, because Tsunade shot him a look, a rather evil grin spreading over her face. "I see, you have already realized what's going to happen next, Nara. The time for being lazy is over. You are hereby promoted to the rank of jounin and also the newest ANBU member." Sounding very sarcastic, she added, "Congratulations are in order, I guess."

Shikamaru sighed, rolling his eyes. "How troublesome."

Neji gave him a comforting smile. Kiba was a little more enthusiastic. Clapping him on the back and grinning at his old friend from the academy, he said, "Welcome, man!", which earned him another muttered 'troublesome' from Shikamaru.

Neji was silently watching the Hokage. He was wondering about the sudden changes. He was already assigned to a team and he had hoped to be promoted to ANBU captain within the next months and get his own team. He had never really worked with either Kiba or Shikamaru. The only time they had been on a mission together had been the Sasuke retrieval mission, which had ended rather disastrously. Besides, he could see why he would be paired with Kiba, as both were good for reconnaissance and tracking missions, but Shikamaru with his intelligence and outstanding strategical planning skills, was more suited for an assault or hunting team. But of course there were also teams that were put together for certain purposes and consisted of shinobi especially chosen for a single mission. Maybe this was the case and they would be send out together only once?

Tsunade spoke up again, interrupting Neji's train of thoughts. "You are all probably wondering, why I put you on a team together", she stopped at the confused look on the Inuzuka's face; apparently, not all of them were wondering, "but your new captain specifically requested each of you."

At this new information, all three of them shared a curious glance. Someone had _requested_ them?

"And who is this captain, Hokage-sama?", Kiba demanded to know. Since he had joined ANBU, he had become more level-headed and composed, but at times he returned to being impulsive, loud and boastful.

Tsunade shot him a glare, telling him to shut up. "You will meet your new captain in five weeks. Until then, I will not reveal this person's identity." This answer was quite mysterious, Shikamaru thought. Why wouldn't their captain want them to know who he was? _Bothersome._

"For the following five weeks, you will work together as a team, getting to know each other. The missions you will be doing in the future are nothing like you have done before." She shot Kiba another glare, as he was about to voice the questions he undoubtedly had. "This is as much as I can say for now. This must sound very confusing to you, but rest assured that everything will be revealed in five weeks."

Tsunade paused, gazing at the young men in front of her. "Besides training together, your new captain has certain tasks for each of you." At this, the three shared another glance. Whoever their new captain was, he – or she? – certainly knew what he wanted.

"Hyuuga, for the next five weeks, you will spend your afternoons with me", the Hokage declared. A look of surprise crossed of Neji's face. "I will train you in medical ninjutsu. Considering your profound knowledge of the human body and excellent chakra control, due to the gentle fist style of your clan, it won't be too difficult for you to learn. In fact, there are many talented medical nins from the Hyuuga clan. The Byakugan will help you immensely. We will start tomorrow, be prepared."

Neji frowned a little at this new development. He had never really thought of becoming a medical nin. However, he was not averse to the idea. He knew that the Byakugan would grant him an advantage over 'regular' medic nins, as he could see 'inside' of the body. Having mastered the juken taijutsu style of his family in his early years, his chakra control was indeed above average. Deciding that he had no objections to train under the Hokage, the frown on his elegant face disappeared.

"Inuzuka", Tsunade addressed the boy with the wild appearance, "I don't see how you will be able to learn this in only five weeks, considering your limited intelligence –", this earned her an indignant sputter from Kiba and a smirk from Neji, "– but you will train under Yamanaka Inoichi, who will teach you some sensory type techniques. As you aren't a sensor type, the techniques won't be as effectual, but you'll still be able to do them. Your enhanced sense of smell and hearing will also aid you in this. It's going to nicely complement your tracking skills."

Kiba didn't have any knowledge about sensory type techniques, he was only aware that they were really helpful in locating other shinobi by sensing their chakra. He didn't know if this would prove useful, but he would learn it. Tsunade had unknowingly challenged him. Maybe he wasn't a prodigy such as Neji or a genius like Shikamaru, but he would show her! Questioning his intelligence! Ts! Kiba now definitely had the ambition to prove her wrong. He'd learn the techniques and prove to Tsunade and his mysterious new captain that an Inuzuka was unfailing and could do just as good as anyone else!

Seeing the ambition light up in Kiba's eyes, Tsunade knew she had succeeded in appealing to his huge ego.

With a look at Shikamaru, she went on. "Nara, as you're the only one that hasn't yet received ANBU training, you will need to catch up on everything in the next five weeks. While you train with your new team mates in the mornings, you will spend the afternoons training with Hatake Kakashi. I know that the two of you already know each other and considering that Kakashi is a seasoned ANBU, you'll be able to learn a lot from him." An evil smirk graced the Hokage's lips, as she added, "Expect your carefree life to be over from now on, Nara. There is no time to be lazy any more."

"How troublesome", Shikamaru sighed for the second time. Training under Kakashi? While Shikamaru respected the man very much, he also knew that the aloof jounin was probably as lazy as himself. Or would his attitude change? Kakashi wasn't the most respected jounin in Konoha for nothing.

"Hyuuga, Inuzuka, accompany him to ANBU headquarters. I've already arranged for him to get a room. You", the Hokage said, addressing Shikamaru, "will also get your uniform and ANBU tattoo today. Your respective new senseis, including me, will start working with each of you tomorrow."

The blonde's eyes focused on each of the young men for a moment. "Before I dismiss you, I have to remind you that you will not speak a word of this to anyone else."

The three gave a collective "Yes, Hokage-sama!", and a curt nod.

They left the office. The Hokage leaned back in her chair. She had given the orders. The three had taken the news very well. She had expected the Inuzuka to cause trouble about being taken from his current team, but no one had questioned the changes. Even the Nara with his uncanny intelligence had not objected. It would probably have been too troublesome. However, Tsunade came to the conclusion that the three plus their new captain would form a fine team. Once said captain came back from training, all further plans would be put into action.

* * *

><p>Four weeks later, Tsunade was found in her office, awaiting the return of a two-men team, she had sent out the previous month. For once, it was not yet dark outside, but an early afternoon sun shone through the large windows of the room. As if on cue, said team appeared in front of her desk with a 'poof'. Tsunade's head shot up, meeting the masked faces of two of her ANBU.<p>

The blonde woman smirked happily when she saw the masks. The slightly taller of the two was wearing a Snake mask, the shorter one a clean, white mask, which marked her as a new member of the ANBU. New recruits wore white masks until after their first mission, after which an animal mask fitting the ANBU's personality was chosen. _(1)_

"Hokage-sama." Both female ANBU stood at attention, waiting for their leader to either allow them to move or to give orders.

"Remove your masks", Tsunade said and in unison, both women took off the masks.

The removed Snake mask revealed the face of Mitarashi Anko. Her pupil-less, light brown eyes sparkled with mischief, which reminded Tsunade very much of Naruto's eyes back before the incident with Sasuke. Anko's messy purple hair was tied back in a spiky pony-tail and her bangs fell into her eyes, almost completely hiding the Konoha forehead protector around her head. Her usual revealing outfit had been replaced by the standard ANBU uniform, under which she wore her mesh body suit.

The other person's face was tan and three whisker marks adorned both cheeks. An amused smirk was on the pink lips, as Naruto greeted, "Ne, baa-chan, how do I look?" The young woman spread her arms playfully, showing off her new ANBU uniform.

Tsunade grinned at Naruto's seemingly good mood. Maybe pairing her with Anko had been a good idea. To humour the blonde, she let her hazel eyes roam over Naruto's new attire. The grey and black ANBU uniform fit her perfectly and she looked older than her sixteen years. Unlike Anko, she was not wearing the normal, loose-fitting shinobi pants that went with the standard uniform, but kept wearing her black leather pants. Tsunade sweat-dropped at the girl's uncanny fascination over leather. The metal breast plate hugged her torso nicely, covering her now usually exposed midriff. Underneath the breast plate, she wore a black tank top. Her forearms were covered with long black gloves and the ANBU arm guards. Her upper arms were bare, showing off the new ANBU tattoo on her left biceps. To Tsunade's surprise, there was a wide hood attached to her shirt at the neck.

"Why the hood, gaki?", Tsunade wondered aloud.

"Oh", the blonde said and reached up with her hand, fiddling the fabric of the hood. She pulled it over her head and immediately her hair was completely concealed from sight, as well as her blue eyes. The lower part of her face was covered in shadows. If Naruto added her porcelain mask, her identity was carefully hidden. "The hood helps to hide my hair. There aren't many ninjas with this shade of blond, so it's quite conspicuous", Naruto reasoned and Tsunade noticed the deliberate tone in her voice. The Fifth nodded in agreement. Especially for Naruto, it was essential to keep her identity a secret.

"So, how was training, brat? I see you're still in one piece."

Naruto shot an amused glance at her newest sensei. "Well, Anko-sensei here certainly has a different interpretation of the word 'training' as Kakashi-sensei has. She does live up to her reputation!"

"And what kind of _reputation_ would that be, gaki?", Anko turned on her pupil with a very dangerous glint in her eyes, hands angrily on her hips.

"Hehe", Naruto chuckled nervously, "you see what I mean, baa-chan?"

Tsunade fondly grinned at the pair. She hadn't seen Naruto like this since she had returned. Well, technically, she had only seen her once since then, but the last time, she had been too serious and tense. Tsunade really hoped that the time with the easygoing and tomboyish Anko had helped Naruto along in the process of recovering.

Eventually, Tsunade had to interfere and stop their bickering before it turned violent.

"So, Naruto, do you feel like taking a mission tomorrow?", Tsunade addressed her daughter-figure.

"Huh", the girl answered, confused. "I thought I was going to start with _my_ mission now." After all, she had trained to get her own team and to put her plans into action.

"Yes, I know, gaki", but there is one mission that needs to be done before you take off on your own", the Hokage explained. "I'd send someone else, but you see, this came up just today and has to be done quickly. It's not even an ANBU mission, only a B-ranked one." Tsunade eyed Naruto's reaction. Three years ago, the girl would have thrown a tantrum, but now, her face turned serious. This was a mission and even if she was very eager to finally get started, she would listen to her Hokage's orders. "So, you think you can handle it, Naruto?", Tsunade teased.

"Yes, Hokage-sama", Naruto answered respectfully; easily switching from her sloppy familiarity with the Hokage to the well-trained ANBU she now was.

Tsunade nodded curtly; unknowingly, Naruto had just passed the first part of the test.

"Fine, brat. You will meet the other members of the team tomorrow morning." With some last instructions, Tsunade dismissed the two women.

* * *

><p>Naruto was roof-jumping towards Kakashi's apartment. She had put her hood back over her head and the white porcelain mask was also back in place, hiding her features. Before she left, Kakashi had offered that Naruto could stay with him again. She didn't want people to know that she was back in Konoha yet, until she had met the team mates she had specifically requested, so she could not yet use her own apartment in case anyone saw her. She knew that she couldn't avoid her old class mates much longer and being back in Konoha had her actually looking forward to seeing them again; maybe some more than others. There was a certain pink-haired girl she'd rather avoid for another three years.<p>

Arriving at Kakashi's apartment, she politely knocked on the front door, taking off her ANBU mask, so he would know who it was. She could feel Kakashi's chakra signature approaching and seconds later, the wooden door opened to reveal her old sensei. He was hiding the lower part of his face behind his hand, as he apparently wasn't wearing his black mask. The grey-haired jounin looked at his student with surprise in his one visible eye. He had not felt her chakra signature at all; in fact, he still wasn't feeling it. Anko had trained her thoroughly, it seemed.

"Naruto!", he exclaimed and his eye curved up into his famous eye-smile.

"Psst!", Naruto hissed and quickly stepped into Kakashi's apartment, closing the door behind her.

Kakashi chuckled softly and let the hand, that had obscured his face, fall back to his side. Naruto looked at her sensei. His now visible lips curved up in a warm smile that fitted nicely to the curved eye. She remembered how surprised she had been the first time she had seen him without the mask. She still wasn't used to the sight, but she felt warm at the display of trust.

On impulse, Naruto returned the smile and a foxy grin graced her lips.

"The uniform looks good on you, Naruto", Kakashi complimented. "It reminds me of my days in ANBU", he mused.

Naruto suppressed a light blush. She was still not used to compliments or praise. Gladly, her rumbling stomach saved her from an answer. Kakashi offered to prepare a meal for them and Naruto took a quick shower. Back in her normal clothes, she joined her sensei at his kitchen table. They ate in silence for some minutes, before Kakashi broke it by asking about her training with Anko.

Naruto found herself unusually talkative. Maybe it was the nice food or the company of a trusted person. Kakashi listened to her stories about how Anko's training had been more torture than anything else. Apparently, the purple-haired jounin had tried to squeeze the training of months into only four weeks.

Naruto eventually finished. In the meantime, darkness had fallen and an exhausted yawn forced itself out of Naruto. Kakashi fondly smiled at the young woman. He couldn't deny that she had changed, but he also saw that there was hope that Naruto would lose the feeling of depression and tension hanging over her.

Naruto slept on Kakashi's couch that night, feeling safer than in months.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Naruto was surprised to see Kakashi already up and ready to leave. Without telling her why, he was following her to the Hokage tower. Naruto was wearing her usual shinobi outfit, but had added a hood to the neck of her midriff-baring tank top. She had grown rather attached to the hoods. They provided her with a feeling of anonymity that she had never experienced in her childhood, while wearing the orange jumpsuit.<p>

Naruto and Kakashi had the decency to use the door for once and together entered Tsunade's office. Suddenly, Naruto laid eyes on the too familiar pink hair of one Haruno Sakura. Naruto's lips turned into a snarl of contempt. Hadn't she wished not to see the girl just last night?

"Kakashi, Naruto", Tsunade welcomed them. At the sound of Naruto's name, Sakura spun around to face her blonde ex-team mate.

Naruto pulled off her hood and revealed her face. Thousands of different emotions swelled up inside her. _Sakura..._ Even in her head, Naruto no longer added the affectionate -chan to Sakura's name. She had tried so hard to befriend the pinkette, but she had never acknowledged her. Neither as a friend, nor a mere team mate. And finally she had spat at her in the middle of a public street; told her that she hated her; slapped her in the face... _betrayed_ her.

Hot anger whirled around in the pit of her stomach. The dull ache in her chest flared up painfully. She suppressed the urge to claw at her heart and before the building rage could overwhelm her, Naruto tried to push it all back down.

She could feel Kyuubi growl in disappointment in the back of her mind. The fox demon was very excited about her sudden and severe mood change. Naruto felt his evil chakra trying to seduce her into using his powers. With a final mental push, she suppressed the Kyuubi's malevolent energy and concentrated back on Sakura.

Apparently, Naruto's momentary fight for dominance over both her anger and Kyuubi's fuelling evil intent had shown too clearly on her features.

The pink-haired kunoichi had an expression of pure horror on her face. If Naruto had taken the time to listen carefully, she would have heard Sakura's frantic heartbeat.

"Naruto!", Tsunade barked emphatically.

Hearing Tsunade's voice broke Naruto out of her rage-induced stupor.

She shook her head and to her own surprise, she realized that she had been leaking a huge amount of killing intent. She felt her slitted pupils and blood-red eyes return to their normal blue state.

Sakura visibly relaxed, but the look of horror and fear didn't leave her eyes. What had just happened? Sakura couldn't take her eyes off of the blonde girl. Was this really Naruto? The blonde idiot she had hit for her stupid remarks and her clumsiness? And what was she wearing? No orange and a bare midriff? _Who is this girl? _

"Na-Naruto?", Sakura whispered, the fear and confusion evident in her voice.

Naruto's blue eyes met her green ones and Sakura gulped. Naruto's eyes were hard and cold. Where was the usual spark of joy? The carefree expression of a girl that had loudly declared to be the next Hokage? With a sinking feeling, Sakura slowly realized that she might be one of the reasons for Naruto's drastic change. What had she done? How _could _she? An increasing wave of shame rolled over her. Sakura's eyes suddenly stung from hot tears. She needed to somehow make up for her mistakes.

The blonde averted her eyes from Sakura. She saw the tears in the other girl's eyes, but it barely affected her. Mere tears would never be able to compensate for what Naruto had felt in the moment of Sakura's betrayal.

Naruto turned fully away from her former team mate, facing Tsunade. "Hokage-sama", she said in a voice devoid of emotion. Her face was schooled into an expressionless mask that would have made an Uchiha proud.

"Y-Yes", Tsunade stammered, more than shocked about the scene she had just witnessed. Clearing her throat and collecting herself, she faced the four shinobi in front of her desk.

Only now did Naruto see the fourth person next to Sakura. Chiding herself for her lack of attention, Naruto blamed it on the unexpected meeting with Sakura. Still, this mustn't happened again. She mustn't allow herself to get distracted by something like that.

She regarded the other shinobi. Naruto had never seen him before, but after all, she had been absent for three years. He had jet-black short hair and extremely pale skin. He was several inches taller than her and wore a midriff-baring short black jacket; a tanto was strapped on his back. His face and dark eyes betrayed no emotions.

When the boy, who was probably a year or two older than herself, noticed her watching him, he gave Naruto an incredibly faked smile.

Unfazed, Naruto looked back at Tsunade, who had seemingly recovered. "Now that all of you are here, I will assign you the mission", she said with a forced smile, trying to break the remaining tension. "Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto and ...Sai, you will form a team for this mission only. Your captain will be Hatake Kakashi."

Tsunade carefully glanced in Naruto's direction. Would she object to working with Sakura? Naruto met Tsunade's eyes, returning the questioning gaze. Naruto would not back down. She had already agreed to the mission yesterday. Even knowing with whom she was partnered, she wouldn't go back on her word. Maybe she had changed, but she remained true to most of her former principles.

Satisfied, Tsunade continued. Unknowingly, Naruto had just passed the second part of the test. "Your mission is to safely deliver this scroll", she held up a large, red scroll, "to the Kazekage. It is of most importance to the peace treaty negotiations and must under no circumstances fall to the enemy's hands."

When mentioning the Kazekage, Tsunade saw a flicker of emotion cross through Naruto's ocean blue eyes. The girl was probably looking forward to seeing Gaara again.

She went on with her instructions. "This mission may seem simple, but stay alert at all times."

"Yes, Hokage-sama", the four shinobi said.

Tsunade handed the scroll over to Kakashi and the jounin stored it in one of the many pockets of his jounin vest.

"Go get everything you need and we'll meet me at the gates in half an hour", Kakashi ordered and shunshin'ed out of the office. Without a second glance at her team mates, Naruto nodded to Tsunade and vanished with a small 'poof' identical to Kakashi's.

* * *

><p>Naruto gathered her things in silence. It wasn't much and considering that she was temporarily living with Kakashi, she hadn't really unpacked anything. Most of her clothes were sealed in storage scrolls, anyway, which made it simple for her to choose the scrolls she needed now.<p>

Finishing quickly, she walked over to Kakashi's bedroom door. She knocked and stepped inside after a cheerful 'come in'.

Kakashi was just sealing his bedroll into a storage scroll of his own and put it in his bag pack. His single dark eye smiled at Naruto.

"Why didn't you tell me that Sakura was going on this mission?", Naruto demanded to know, her ocean blue eyes scrutinizingly staring at her jounin captain.

Kakashi looked at her levelly. "Would it have changed anything, if I had told you? Would it have prepared you, if you had known?"

Naruto thought about his words for a moment. Seeing Sakura had been unexpected, to say the least. Before meeting her this morning, she had not wasted much time on thinking about her. Would she have reacted differently, if she had known? She couldn't say for sure, but she highly doubted it. Nothing could have prepared her for the sudden rage that had threatened to overwhelm her for a few seconds.

"No", she answered truthfully and Kakashi gave her a self-satisfied eye-smile.

Naruto went back to the living room where she had left her katana on Kakashi's coffee table. She carefully strapped it onto her back, so that the hilt poked out over her right shoulder, granting her easy access in case she needed to draw it. Pocketing several scrolls in her back pouch, she checked her kunai pouch on her thigh once again and finally deemed everything to be thoroughly prepared and in place.

About to shunshin away to the gates, a hand on her shoulder stopped her. Naruto turned around to look up at her grey-haired sensei. Wordlessly, he held out his right hand to her. Naruto looked down. There was a brand-new Konoha forehead protector in his hand. The metal plate engraved with the Konoha leaf insignia, shone like a mirror. The cloth of the headband was black and rather long.

Naruto looked at it. Should she take it? She _was_ a ninja of Konoha again. It would only be right to wear it again. She was an ANBU and had joined the ranks of Konoha's military forces once more. Even if she did not yet feel like she belonged here again, she unconsciously did so already. And if she ever wanted to be acknowledged by the villagers, she needed to show them that she was a proud shinobi, fighting for the Leaf.

Making her decision, Naruto took the offered forehead protector from her sensei's hand. The silver metal was cold to her touch, the black cloth smooth. With a practised motion, she tied it tightly around her head. The long ends were falling freely down her neck, along with her hair, which was in a long braid today, that she had tucked into the hood, so it wouldn't fall out.

Naruto was wearing the Konoha forehead protector for the first time in three years. Did she feel better now? Maybe. Did she feel worse? No. _At least something_, Naruto thought sarcastically and pulled the hood back over her hair.

Kakashi watched his pupil's face after putting on the headband. Unknowingly, Naruto had just passed the third part of the test.

* * *

><p>Sakura and Sai were already waiting for them, as Kakashi and Naruto arrived at the gates. Sakura shot a nervous glance in Naruto's direction, but she wasn't able to make out her expression, due to the strange hood that hid her hair and half of her face. The pinkette noticed the katana on her back and quietly wondered, what else Naruto had learned during her absence.<p>

With a nod to the guards, Kakashi led the way out of Konoha.

_It seems as though I never really stay here for long, _Naruto pondered. She had returned to Konoha four weeks ago and had only spent two whole nights in actual Konoha. Wondering whether this was going to change in the future, Naruto quietly followed Kakashi.

* * *

><p><em>(1) I don't know, if the ANBU masks are really chosen like that, but I think it's a logical explanation, better than choosing some random animal.<br>_

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading, guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!<strong>

**In case you're wondering, this is _not_ going to be the 'Kazekage Rescue Arc' mission. This story won't follow cannon, except for some key events I chose to use. This mission has a completely different purpose!**

**A lot of you asked when Naruto and Sasuke are finally going to meet... I think there will be at least four more chapters before that happens... I hope you won't stop reading because of it, because I have the whole scenario already planned out since I started writing this story and I'm so excited to finally type it! So please, until then be patient, dear readers, and enjoy the rest of the story!**

**So, did you guess who Neji, Kiba and Shikamaru's new captain will be?**

**Let me know what you think, please! :)**

**Over and out,**

**xXHaneliXx**


	9. Chapter 9

**The author says: **Hello everyone, after a rather long silence from me, I present to you chapter 9!

Thank you to all the people who took the time to review!

This one is the longest so far, so it took a little longer than usual and besides, I had to work. Now please enjoy the next chapter!

**I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

><p><strong>'He had no idea'<strong>

**Chapter 9**

* * *

><p><em><strong>So I'll love whatever you become<br>And forget the reckless things we've done  
>I think our lives have just begun<br>I think our lives have just begun **_

_**Staying awake to chase a dream  
>Tasting the air you're breathing in<br>I hope I won't forget a thing  
><strong>_

**- 'Falling Away With You' by Muse**

* * *

><p>"Let's make camp for the night", Kakashi's deep voice sounded through the forest, breaking the silence between them. The quiet group stopped their tree-jumping and all gathered in the small clearing Kakashi pointed out to them.<p>

It was the first day of the mission and just this morning Naruto, Sakura, Sai and their captain Kakashi had departed from Konoha. By now, darkness had fallen and everyone was tired from the day's journey. Naruto mumbled something under her breath about wanting to go on, but still she knew that the other's didn't have her incredible stamina and besides she was hungry.

Kakashi gave orders for Sai to hunt them some small animal for dinner, Naruto and one of her shadow clones looked for some wood to start a fire and Sakura was preparing their cooking utensils to be ready to make dinner as soon as Sai was back.

Naruto soon came back with enough firewood to last the night and Kakashi lit it with a well-aimed fire jutsu. Sai presented two big rabbits to Sakura, who immediately squeaked and ordered him to skin them. Naruto ignored the two and walked over to Kakashi, who was sitting under a tree, watching Sai and Sakura.

He looked up at her, as she came closer. "Naruto", he eye-smiled.

"Kakashi-sensei", the blonde said, sitting down next to him, "I was wondering if you allowed me to try putting a seal on the scroll."

Kakashi raised his one visible eyebrow at her in question. "The scroll we have to deliver to Gaara?"

"Yes, Tsunade-baachan said it was really important. So I thought of this new seal I worked on during my time with Jiraiya."

"What will the seal do?", Kakashi inquired a bit suspiciously, not knowing how far Naruto's training in Fuinjutsu went.

"Well", Naruto started to explain, "it will help keep the scroll safe in case an enemy lays his hand on it."

Naruto had not really explained how the seal worked, but Kakashi knew he could trust her and therefore took out the scroll from his front pocket of his jounin vest and handed it to Naruto.

The blonde took it without hesitation and immediately unrolled the paper, so that the front was facing the grass. Naruto stuck a hand into her back pouch, reaching for one of her own scrolls. With two fast hand signs, she unsealed a brush and a small inkwell, her sealing kit. Kakashi watched her intently as she drew an intricate seal on the back side of the scroll. He marvelled at her quick and precise movements. It was amazing how Naruto was able to draw seals this neat, but her handwriting was barely readable. He had been trained in Fuinjutsu as well, so he knew that Naruto seemed to be very talented with it. Following the brush with his dark eye, he tried to read the seal. The design was a complex one and he didn't recognize it.

It took the blonde some minutes to finish the seal, but eventually she bit her thumb, as if she was about to do the summoning technique. Instead, she smeared some of her blood over the seal. It vanished, seemingly soaking into the paper.

"Kakashi", Naruto said, startling the jounin from his intent observations, "I need your blood."

Kakashi blinked at her for a second. Assuming she wanted him to do the same, he bit his thumb and moved it over the seal. His blood vanished as well. Naruto nodded, satisfied.

"Kakashi-sensei, Naruto", Sakura called for them nervously. Dinner was ready.

The two got up and moved over to the fire, sitting down around it. Sakura handed the first bowl of what looked like a stew to Naruto. The blonde was surprised about it, but paid it no further mind. If Sakura wanted to regain her respect, she needed to do better than this. But maybe it was a start? Sighing, Naruto took the bowl from her, not looking at her hopeful but nervous face. Was the pinkette still afraid of her after what happened in Tsunade's office?

They ate in silence for some time, before Sai hesitantly cleared his throat. Naruto turned her head to look at the boy sitting next to her.

"Uzumaki-san", the dark-haired boy began respectfully and somewhat stiffly, "I noticed you drawing a seal earlier. I hope you don't mind me asking, but would you show it to me?" He finished with one of his fake smiles.

Naruto blinked at the older teen. Had he just addressed her as 'Uzumaki-san'? No one had ever called her that. And what was it about his strange smiles?

"Um", Naruto said, setting down her half-finished bowl. She grabbed the scroll from the earth next to her, where she had put it before dinner. Unrolling it, she showed the back to Sai. "I don't mind, Sai-san. See", she pointed out some of the ink lines on the scroll's back, "it's a personalized seal. It will react to everyone except for the four of us."

"That's why you used your and Kakashi-senpai's blood?", Sai inquired. Even though his voice betrayed none of his emotions, Naruto had the impression that he was curious about it. Why else would he ask, right?

"Yes", Naruto affirmed his observations, "and I still need your blood. And Sakura's too." Naruto didn't look at the girl, but saw her flinch from the corner of her eyes. Had the pinkette only just noticed that she no longer called her 'Sakura-chan'?

Naruto instructed Sai on where to put his blood and then waited for Sakura to do the same. The girl quickly bit her thumb and smeared a red streak over the seal. After all four of them had given their blood, the seal was now completely finished. Naruto added another small design to the seal and re-rolled the scroll. She handed it back to Kakashi, who stored it in his vest once more. "Finished."

"What exactly did you do, Naruto?", Kakashi wanted to know. The blonde still hadn't explained how the seal worked.

"If anyone other than us touches the scroll, it will multiply by several dozens, maybe hundreds", Naruto said, re-sealing her sealing kit and putting the storage scroll back in her back pouch.

"Maybe hundreds?", Kakashi prompted, blinking at her.

"Hehe", the girl chuckled nervously, rubbing her neck sheepishly, like she used to do all the time when she was younger. "You know, I only tested this seal once so far... and the last time it only doubled, which wasn't really that effective. So I made certain adjustments." Her blue eyes were looking everywhere but at her sensei. "So the amount of duplicate scrolls should increase considerably this time."

Naruto finished her explanation, hoping fiercely that none of them would ask her how it would be possible to distinguish between the original and the fake scrolls later. She hadn't worked that one out yet. It had been really easy, considering that last time, there had been only two scrolls. The fake scroll had been empty, whilst the original had contained the information. If the scroll did duplicate by several hundreds, they'd have to look into every single scroll, trying to find the original. Of course, the enemy would have to do the same, which was the whole purpose behind the technique.

Fortunately for the blonde, no one asked further questions on the seal and after some poor attempt at forced conversation from Sakura, they unpacked their bedrolls and Sai took the first watch of the night.

* * *

><p>It was around noon of the next day and the border to Wind Country was close. The four were travelling in a loose formation. Naruto was in the front; with her extraordinary sense of smell and hearing, she'd be the first to detect another's presence. Second in line was Kakashi as the captain, behind him came Sakura as the medic and Sai made up the rear.<p>

The lush forests of Fire Country were already getting thinner and would soon turn into desert. Kakashi was about to order a break for lunch, before they had to face the scalding sun, when Naruto suddenly stopped, raising a hand. It was the sign for them to stop as well and the other three landed on the branch beside her.

"Kakashi-sensei, six chakra signatures approaching from the East. Fast", Naruto reported. Suna was in the West of them.

Kakashi nodded his head to the ground and all four dropped down. There was a small river to their left and several boulders in their back. It wasn't the ideal place to fight – if it came to a fight – but it had to do. They spread out, backs to each other, each of them facing different directions.

Naruto crouched down, closing her eyes, listening. She heard them coming closer. But what was that? One of them stopped a safe distance away. "One of them stopped. About three miles away. The other five are still getting closer."

"Do not attack before I tell you to. It is possible that they are not enemies", the grey-haired captain said calmly.

Naruto opened her eyes again. Soundlessly, she unsheathed the katana from her back. Next to her she saw Sai taking out what looked like a customized scroll and a brush. She had no time to wonder about how he was going to use those utensils in a fight, because the whir of a metallic object flying through the air made her whirl around.

She turned just in time to see a miniature arrow hit Kakashi in the neck. The jounin touched the arrow with his hand, pulling it out, looking at it quizzically. Naruto followed his movements with her eyes, carefully listening for any other sounds of attack.

Sakura was late to turn around and the only thing she saw was her sensei keeling over, hitting the ground with a thud. "Kakashi-sensei!", the pinkette shrieked, about to run over to him.

"Sakura! Stop!" Naruto's hard voice made the girl stop dead in her tracks. "Don't move!"

"What? But Kakashi-sen –", the pink-haired girl began in her loud and shrill voice.

Naruto put a hand to her lips, indicating for the other girl to be quiet. She was listening and the annoying voice was not helping. Something had changed. "They stopped their advance."

Naruto's mind was racing. Whoever attacked them had incapacitated Kakashi with a single arrow. This meant that it was probably poisoned. But why did they stop? And why weren't they trying to incapacitate her and the others as well? Something felt strange about the situation. Listening carefully, Naruto deemed it safe to move. "Sakura, check on Kakashi."

The pinkette did as ordered and leaned over the man's body. Naruto felt her gathering chakra in her hands as she ran them over his head and torso, checking his vital signs. "He is unconscious, but breathing. The arrow was poisoned, I can feel it in his blood system", the medic nin informed.

Naruto nodded to herself; just as she had assumed. "Can you heal him?"

Sakura wrinkled her wide forehead, assessing the situation. "I'm already trying to get the poison out of his body, but it seems to evade my chakra. I need more time to remove it. But it doesn't seem to be very aggressive. If they had intended to kill him, he'd be dead already."

Naruto agreed with her. But why wouldn't they try to kill him? What were they after?

"Sai, help Sakura carry Kakashi over to these bushes and hide him", Naruto ordered, pointing to said bushes. Kakashi was currently unable to fight, so he had to get out of the way in case it came to a battle.

"Wait, I need to heal him!", Sakura objected, standing up and turning towards Naruto.

Naruto coolly regarded the girl. "Sakura, you said the poison is not fatal, so we need to get him to safety, so –"

"Hiding him in the underbrush is not 'safety', we need to get him to a hospital!" Sakura's voice was rising in volume and Naruto found it extremely hard to listen to her _and_ the enemy; they were enemy now in her eyes, they had attacked first.

Naruto breathed in, trying to not shout at the girl. Right now it was really hard to remember why Naruto had tried to befriend her during academy time. Had the girl always been this bitchy?

"Sakura, the enemy is closing in, we –"

"You said they stopped", Sakura dared to interrupt again, "we can flee and –"

"JUST SHUT THE HELL UP, SAKURA!", Naruto yelled, exasperated.

She just couldn't take her whining any more. The girl honestly failed to see the seriousness of the situation. It should be easy to realize for her that fleeing was not an option, she was a chuunin after all. But Naruto also remembered how Sakura had always lacked actual combat skills. She was good with book knowledge, but when it came down to using it, she had never shown much skills.

The pink-haired girl was staring at Naruto with wide eyes. Had Naruto just _yelled_ at her? And _cursed_? Naruto had never used such a tone with her before. _How dare she!_

"Who gave you the permission to take command anyway, Naruto?", Sakura screamed, putting her hands on her hips, trying her best to look intimidating.

Naruto ran a hand over her eyes. She so didn't need this right now. Her hand fell away and her ice-cold blue eyes focused on Sakura. "Sakura, you will listen very carefully now", Naruto whispered in a dangerously calm voice, "as long as Kakashi is unconscious, I will take over command and replace him as captain. We can't flee right now, Kakashi will slow us down and the enemy will catch up to us and I will most certainly not abandon him. Besides, I'm the highest ranking shinobi next to Kakashi, so command falls to me. Do you understand?"

Naruto was already a jounin? How had she managed that? There were just too many things that Sakura didn't know; and she didn't like it. The girl opened her mouth to object once more. "What makes you think I'll follow you just like that?"

Naruto couldn't help but admit that the girl was either very brave or very stupid in standing up to her. Right now, Naruto was angered and impatient to fight, so it was very stupid of Sakura to talk to her like that.

Drawing on the Kyuubi's chakra, Naruto felt her eyes bleed red, round pupils turning into slits. She knew she was leaking killing intent, but she didn't care. Should Sakura see what it gained her to object Naruto.

The girl froze under the power of the killing intent and the sight of Naruto's eyes. The look the blonde gave her was purely menacing. The angry pink blush that had been on Sakura's cheeks faded.

"You _will_ listen to me, Sakura", Naruto almost growled. "Now, do we understand each other?"

Sakura paled, gulping, she obediently bobbed her head up and down in answer. She understood. How had she ever dared to talk back to this girl? Was this even Naruto? It definitely wasn't the Naruto Sakura thought she knew.

"Now move Kakashi", Naruto ordered more calmly, but with so much authority in her voice that no one questioned her. She watched them prop her sensei up against the tree. The blonde considered taking the scroll from him, but the enemy would probably expect it, so she left it in Kakashi's pocket. If an enemy laid hands on the scroll, there was still the seal hindering them from stealing it.

Naruto concentrated on the enemy again, feeling them getting closer once more. "They are coming", she informed her team mates, beckoning for them to get closer to her side. Sai stood on her left and Sakura on her right.

"I can hear them now", Sai whispered, unrolling a blank scroll and beginning to paint what looked like a beast. "But there are only four of them now."

"Yes." Naruto had heard it, too. One of them had stopped again. Four were still advancing.

The adrenaline sharpened Naruto's senses to a maximum. She heard Sakura swallow next to her, she smelled her fear and sensed her agitation. Sai was the exact opposite; he was calm and collected, the only indication of his emotions was his quickened heartbeat.

And Naruto, she was... _excited_. She was finally able to put her acquired skills to use. The hilt of the katana in her hands felt smooth and right. She hadn't been in a real fight for months and she was looking forward it. Kyuubi was eager, too, she felt him anticipating the coming fight. The demon's bloodlust was strong, but her own emotions were stronger. The thrill increased and she felt an eerie smile playing on her lips.

A swarm of senbon came suddenly flying from the tree line and all three of them jumped back, evading the sharp needles easily. From the corner of her eye, Naruto saw how Sai was attacked by a black-clad shinobi. The person was wearing a mask, which completely covered his head. She heard Sai call out his technique, "_Ninpo: Choju Giga", (1) _and a huge ink lion sprang alive from the scroll, launching itself at the attacking shinobi.

Naruto didn't have the time to further observe them, because another two black-clad figures were on her in the next second.

Naruto raised her katana, defending herself from a blade swung at her head. The swords clashed, clanging. The enemy stepped back, giving Naruto an opening. She attacked, aiming for the enemies neck. He turned away, evading her blade. The second figure jumped at her from behind. Naruto whirled around, catching the fist coming at her with her left hand, holding onto it tightly.

Channelling wind chakra through her katana, Naruto swung the sword at the enemy, intending to behead him. But he ducked low, throwing himself backwards and pulling his hand free of Naruto's grasp in the process. Naruto staggered for a second, losing her balance.

The first attacker managed to slice the skin on her bare midriff with his blade. Ignoring the sharp pain, Naruto threw her katana at the second enemy, who came running towards her. The wind chakra-infused katana cut through the air and before the other one knew what was happening, the sword buried in his left shoulder, too high to pierce the heart. Still, he staggered, falling to his knees with a cry of pain.

Naruto concentrated on the first attacker once more. He raised his katana over his head, bringing it down with force. The blonde jumped to the side, dodging the sharp blade. Using the other's momentum, she grabbed his arm, pulling him forwards. The man stumbled. Trying to regain his balance, he let go off his sword. Naruto was behind him in a heartbeat, her foot connecting with his back in a powerful kick. The enemy gasped, hitting the ground face first.

Naruto didn't wait for him to get up. She quickly looked around, trying to see how Sakura and Sai were doing.

Sakura was having difficulties with her opponent. The man was fast and seemingly more experienced than her. She grunted from a kick to her stomach, which send her flying through the air. She hit one of the large boulders, the impact forcing the air from her lungs.

Forming a rasengan in her right hand, Naruto was next to Sakura's opponent immediately. She thrust her arm forwards, punching the enemy in the chest with her attack.

A sudden 'poof' sounded and Naruto saw her hand impaling a log. _Kawarimi no Jutsu (2), _she thought while pulling her fist out of the splintered wood.

A surprised squeal made her head snap around to the bushes where Sai and Sakura had hidden Kakashi.

A very self-satisfied grin appeared on Naruto's lips as she saw what was happening. Somehow, the fifth enemy had found Kakashi and apparently searched him for the scroll. Now, uncountable numbers of scrolls were flying from the underbrush, multiplying and multiplying uncountable times. The enemy shinobi stumbled into sight. The black-clad figure was wearing the same outfit as the other's but thanks to the very feminine squeal earlier, Naruto was sure this one was a woman.

Fighting her way through the heap of scrolls that were still proliferating like crazy, she waved her arms at her comrades.

The shinobi fighting Sai saw her frantic waving and retreated quickly into the forest. Sakura's opponent was nowhere in sight after the Kawarimi.

Naruto's first attacker was getting up from the ground, seemingly recovered from the kick to his back. He halted for a moment, looking at his fallen comrade, the man with Naruto's katana through the shoulder. Sai suddenly appeared in front of the bleeding man and the other fled, following into the forest.

Naruto listened. The four retreating enemies were fleeing fast. Should they follow them? She decided against it. Kakashi was still out of action and Sakura didn't look too well either. However, her fingers formed a well-known cross and two Shadow Clones appeared. "Follow them", Naruto ordered her clones and turned away.

"Sai, go look after Sakura, please", Naruto said to the dark-haired teen, who was still failing to show any emotion.

Naruto walked over to the enemy on the ground. She crouched down next to him. Placing a hand over his carotid, she looked for a pulse and found one. With the help of her knees, Naruto turned the man over, so that he was lying on his side. Gripping the hilt of her katana, she pulled it out with a quick motion. The man fall on his back, breathing heavily. Naruto saw his chest move up and down and suddenly she realized that the person was actually a woman.

Naruto pulled the black mask over the woman's face. It revealed a face contorted in pain. From what Naruto saw, she believed the woman to be in her early twenties. Her eyes were shut fiercely, but opened to look up at Naruto. Brown eyes glared at her defiantly. Naruto took the mask off completely. Long and straight purple hair fell from it, gathering around the woman's head.

"Who are you and what do you want?", Naruto questioned, looking down with cold blue eyes at the bleeding woman.

Another glare was her answer.

Naruto sighed, pressing the mask against the woman's shoulder, intending to stop the bleeding from the stab wound. The woman hissed in pain, but didn't try to stop her.

Sai and Sakura walked over to Naruto and the woman, watching them. "What are we going to do with her, Uzumaki-taichou?", Sai asked in his emotionless voice, but easily adding the respectful _-taichou_ to Naruto's name and hence accepting her as captain.

Naruto let go off the cloth on the wound and her hands formed signs with well-trained speed. Small, purple-glowing chakra flames appeared on each fingertip of Naruto's right hand.

"_Gogyo Fuin", (3) _the blonde said quietly and pressed her fingertips on the woman's stomach. The chakra flames were sucked into her body and the woman gasped, her eyes widening for a second before her body went limp.

"What did you do to her?", Sakura exclaimed, alarmed.

"She sealed away her chakra", Sai spoke up, his dark eyes on Naruto.

The blonde turned her head up to look at him, getting up from her crouching position. She was surprised that the other teen knew the jutsu. She arched an eyebrow at him in question. Sai obviously didn't get the gesture, so she had to ask him aloud.

"How come you know Fuinjutsu, Sai-san?"

Sakura gazed at her two team mates. She had absolutely no knowledge about sealing techniques, but that didn't mean she wouldn't listen now.

Sai gave Naruto one of his fake smiles and replied, "I'm a member of Root. My training also included Fuinjutsu, but I am not nearly as capable as you are, Uzumaki-taichou."

The only thing Naruto knew about Root was that it was a secret subdivision of the ANBU. She made a mental note to ask Sai about it later on.

"We are going to take her to Konoha", Naruto answered to Sai's earlier question. "Sakura, heal her shoulder and then tie her up."

Grabbing the katana from the ground, she put it back in the sheath on her back and walked over to the heap of scrolls. How was she going to find the original? There were hundreds of copies, sorting through them would take some time, but she wanted to leave as soon as possible. Kakashi was still unconscious and even though the poison hadn't killed him so far, there was no guarantee that it wouldn't do so in the near future.

Forming the cross seal once more, some hundred Shadow Clones appeared around her with collective 'poofs'. "Dig out Kakashi from under the scrolls", she ordered her doppelgangers, "and then open every scroll until you find the original."

The clones sweat-dropped. What kind of task was that? The original glared at the others and they all quickly took to opening scroll after scroll, digging out an unconscious Kakashi in the process.

Naruto went back to where Sai was tying the enemy up with what looked like snakes made of ink. The blonde had never heard about using ink techniques and made another mental note to ask Sai about it later.

Naruto stood in the middle of the small clearing, regarding her team mates and the group of clones sifting through the scrolls. They had two unconscious bodies to get to Konoha. Naruto had already decided that proceeding with their mission was out of the question. Kakashi needed medical attention and probably an antidote. Even though Sakura was a very capable medic, the girl could not do much without the right instruments and chemicals or whatever she needed to prepare an antidote. So they had to quit the mission and get back to Konoha. It had taken one and a half day to get to the border of Wind Country. If they hurried, they could be back in Konoha in half the time. She just hoped that Sai and Sakura were not too exhausted. She wasn't worrying too much about Sai, though; if the boy had received ANBU training, he should have the needed stamina to reach Konoha without a break. Sakura on the other hand seemed to be in a worse condition. Naruto thought it unlikely that the girl would make it without a break or two.

Feeling something hot running down her side, Naruto remembered that she had been injured. The enemy with the katana had sliced her skin. Looking down and touching her side, Naruto saw that the wound was almost completely healed already. She sent a mental 'thanks' to Kyuubi, who didn't deign to answer.

"Boss!", her own happy voice called out to the blonde. Naruto looked at the waving clone. "I found the original!"

"Finally!", the others muttered in chorus, rolling their eyes.

Suddenly, all the fake scrolls dispersed with poofs similar to the sound of dispelling shadow clones. All hundrer clones plus the original and Sakura and Sai looked at the clone, who had been successful in locating the original scroll. _So all the fake scrolls disperse when someone opens the original scroll,_ Naruto mused, glad to have gotten some insight into her own technique. It still needed further improvements, though. She couldn't use shadow clones to find the original object every time.

The clone tossed the scroll over to Naruto, who caught it and stored it in her back pouch. "You two", Nartuo said, pointing to two of her clones, "stay, the others, dispel."

The clones did as ordered and the two remaining ones strolled over to their boss. Sakura checked on Kakashi once more, but his condition had neither improved nor worsened. Naruto took it as a good sign for now. One of her clones lifted Kakashi on its back, carrying him piggy-back style. The other clone did the same to the unconscious enemy and the group of three Narutos, Sai and Sakura started their way back to Konoha. Neither Sakura nor Sai questioned Naruto's leadership and followed her into the woods.

* * *

><p>In the early hours of the next morning, Naruto received the information of the two clones she had sent after the fleeing enemy shinobis. They had been 'killed' without finding out anything useful. But it seemed as though they were also travelling in the direction of Konoha. Naruto listened, but was unable to hear any movements in the near vicinity except for their own.<p>

The blonde heard Sakura's strained breathing and turned to look at the girl. Her face was red and sweaty, her hair was messy and her mouth was open, taking in gulps for air. She looked pathetic. Naruto knew that Sakura wouldn't keep up much longer.

The new captain raised her hand and instantly the others halted in their tree-jumping behind her. Sakura bent over, placing her hands on he knees, panting. Sai offered her his water bottle and the pinkette greedily emptied it in one go.

"Sakura, please check on Kakashi once again", Naruto told the tired girl. If Kakashi's condition changed to critical, she'd have to think of something else. But Sakura reported that nothing had changed. _Strange,_ Naruto thought. Why would an enemy just paralyse the team's captain and then attack the other members? Why hadn't they incapacitated all of them like that? They could've easily taken the scroll without a fight. Something still didn't feel right about the whole situation.

Sai watched the blonde captain as she formed a third shadow clone. She ordered her copy to carry Sakura.

"What?", the pink-haired kunoichi sputtered indignantly.

"You obviously can't run any more, Sakura. But we need to reach Konoha as quickly as possible. Kakashi's condition can worsen any minute. So just let my clone carry you", Naruto reasoned in a calm tone that came out rather forced.

"I will not let you carry me, baka!", Sakura yelled, "I can still run!" As if on cue, the girl swayed, almost falling off the branch. Naruto's clone grabbed her arm and supported her.

The clone rolled her eyes at the other girl and very impatiently glared at her. "Just get over your stupid pride! If you don't comply, I'll make Sai tie you up! Either way, I _will_ carry you, so stop your bitching and _move_!"

Sakura stared up at the clone. With a weak attempt at a defiant glare, the pinkette climbed on the clone's back. The original Naruto hid her self-satisfied grin as she saw the girl's face lit up in the colour of her hair.

Naruto liked being captain more and more.

* * *

><p>It was dark when the gates of Konoha finally came into view. Naruto let out a tired sigh. Even with her amazing stamina the run back to the village had taken its toll on her. Her chakra was divided into three clones and each was carrying another person. It was quite the performance to keep running for over one day like that without a break. Sai was panting next to her. His face was sweaty and his already extremely white skin looked even paler in the silver light of the moon.<p>

The guard at the gates nodded to them in greeting and seeing the unconscious Kakashi, they waved them through.

Naruto led the way to the hospital. She wanted to get her sensei there first thing. Reporting to Tsunade had to come later. The jounin had not awoken and by now Naruto was rather worried about him, although she played it down as not to alarm Sai and Sakura.

Arriving at the hospital, Sakura jumped from the back of Naruto's clone, who was still carrying her, and took the lead. She knew the hospital better than Naruto. Several medics came running to them, wanting to help. Sakura gave orders and Naruto admitted to herself that the girl looked quite professional.

They were ushered into a hospital room and Naruto's clone put Kakashi down on the bed and dispersed. The one carrying their female captive put the purple-haired woman down on her own feet. The woman had regained consciousness soon after Naruto had sealed her chakra. Her body was still constrained by Sai's ink snakes and the defiant look on her face was also still in place. The clone grabbed her arm and held a kunai to her side, daring the woman to try to escape.

Suddenly, the door burst open and the blonde Hokage entered. "What's going on?", she bellowed, looking at the dishevelled team.

Before Sakura was able to say a word, Naruto spoke up. "Team Kakashi reports back from the mission to Suna, Hokage-sama. We were attacked and Kakashi has been unconscious since then." Naruto's voice was clear and strong and didn't betray her exhaustion.

"I see", Tsunade said and quickly walked over to the hospital bed. She bent over Kakashi and took out a small syringe from Kami-knew-where. She injected the colourless liquid in Kakashi's neck and told the others that the man was going to wake up in a few moments.

_It's that easy?_ Naruto wondered. _How did she know which antidote to apply?_ Tsunade hadn't even used any medical techniques on the jounin and even though Naruto's knowledge on medicine was rather non-existent, she was pretty sure that Tsunade should at least have checked his blood system or something; at least that was what Sakura had done.

She was interrupted in her silent musings, as Tsunade addressed her. "Who is the woman?", she asked, pointing at the purple-haired captive.

"She's one of the shinobi, who attacked us. I injured her and we took her captive, Hokage-sama", Naruto explained.

"What happened to her chakra? I feel a strange disturbance", the blonde Hokage wanted to know, eyeing the woman.

"I sealed it away", Naruto replied and Tsunade's head snapped around to look at her.

"Oh", she blinked, "I didn't know you can do that."

Naruto then gave a full report of what exactly happened; leaving out the part about Sakura objecting her leadership. Tsunade listened carefully, watching Naruto and the two chuunin closely. A smile played on her lips.

"So", the woman began, turning to Kakashi's bed, "what do you think, Kakashi? Did she pass or did she pass?"

The grey-haired jounin sat up in bed and gave his famous eye-smile. He looked way too healthy to have just regained consciousness and once more Naruto felt that something was not right at all. And what was Tsunade saying about 'passing'?

"Ne, Tsunade-sama", Kakashi chuckled, "she passes with flying colours."

Both turned to look at Naruto, who gave an unintelligent, "Huh?", staring back and forth between the two. "What's going on?"

"Before I tell you that, let's go to my office. This calls for sake!", the Hokage grinned, leading the way out of the hospital room.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, Naruto sat in front of Tsunade's desk, an empty cup of sake in her hand. Kakashi was lazily leaning against the windows; Jiraiya had joined as well and an ANBU in uniform was standing in a corner with the captive. Sakura and Sai had been dismissed to get some rest.<p>

"So, gaki", Tsunade began, refilling their cups, "I can tell you're thoroughly confused right now, but let us enlighten you."

Naruto sipped the sake, welcoming the burning feeling running down her throat, warming her stomach. Tsunade was right, she was utterly confused.

"The whole mission was a test, Naruto. It was necessary to officially promote you to ANBU captain", Tsunade said, and added as an afterthought, "Congratulations by the way!" The blonde Hokage grinned at the newly-promoted captain sitting in front of her, raising her cup at the stunned girl.

Naruto only blinked, swallowing her sake. "So what exactly was the test?"

"Oh, you see, there were several parts to this test. The first", Tsunade held up her index finger, "part of the test was to see, if you'd agree to go on this mission, even though you had other plans. Three years ago you'd have thrown a tantrum, if things weren't going your way", Naruto blushed a little at that; it was true, "but you agreed and hence put the need of our village above your own, even if it was a seemingly unimportant mission."

Naruto nodded and Tsunade continued. "You passed the second part of the test when you met your team mates. Of course I knew about the situation between you and Sakura. By agreeing to work with her, even though there are personal differences, you passed the next part. A shinobi must work with anyone, regardless of personal preferences."

Naruto nodded again, remembering how she had not wanted to work with Sakura in the beginning.

"The third part was accepting the Konoha forehead protector from Kakashi. We all noticed you not wearing it, but as a shinobi of this village, you need to wear it and identify yourself with Konoha."

Naruto remembered how Kakashi had offered the headband to her without a word. She also remembered the moment of hesitation, but she had taken it – and was still wearing it around her head. So far she didn't regret the decision.

"After Team Kakashi left the village, Kakashi was the one who took over testing you. It was all planned of course, but as I wasn't present, it fell to Kakashi's assessment." Naruto shot a look at her sensei, who eye-smiled at her and drank sake through the cloth of his mask. Used to the sight, Naruto didn't waste another thought on the strange behaviour.

"I sent a team of six shinobi after you. They remained hidden, until you reached the border to Wind Country", Tsunade looked expectantly at Kakashi, prompting him to go on.

The grey-haired man sighed lazily, but began giving the report in his deep voice. "You detected the approaching enemies easily, Naruto, and warned us of them in time to get into a defensive position. Then the team incapacitated me with some kind of sedation, that left me seemingly unconscious. I was still able to hear and mostly see everything, though."

Naruto listened, going over each of the mentioned situations in her head.

"After I was out of action, it was up to the three of you to decide on a new captain and on a plan. So the hidden team waited until one of you took over command. We expected you to take over and you did. You demonstrated that you're able to keep your cool even in a hectic and new situation."

Kakashi paused, sipping on his sake. "I have to admit I'm disappointed in Sakura's behaviour, but you made her follow you nonetheless and handled her well. 'A shinobi must never question their leading ninja'", he said, quoting one of the shinobi rules of Konohagakure.

"The orders you gave were well thought-out and you even cared enough about your poor old sensei to get me out of the way." Naruto saw Kakashi grinning at her through his mask.

"You handled your two opponents better than we assumed. However, in case anyone was injured, Shizune-san stayed behind to heal them up; hers was the sixth presence you felt", Kakashi explained. "We didn't plan on you injuring Yugao like that, though." He waved a hand over at the 'captive', smirking.

"I'll never live that down, will I?", the purple-haired woman sighed, shaking her head.

She introduced herself to Naruto as Uzuki Yugao, a twenty-two-year-old ANBU member. The ANBU in uniform and mask behind her stepped forward. His current code name was Yamato. Naruto noticed his creepy eyes and quickly turned back to face the Hokage, but Yamato walked over to stand beside her.

Tsunade prompted for Yamato to speak up, so he did. Apparently, his wood clone – Naruto wondered about that, _wood clone?_ Where had she heard of a wood user before? – had followed them for some time; due to its wooden nature, Naruto and the others had not been able to detect his presence.

"At first, I thought it was reckless of you to leave the scroll with Kakashi. After all, your mission was to deliver the very important scroll safely to Suna", Yamato said, "But we didn't know about the seal you put on it. So we were all quite surprised when the scroll began multiplying like that, when Tenten touched it."

_The girl touching the scroll was Tenten?_, Naruto thought silently, wondering who else of the 'enemy' team had been someone she knew.

Yamato regarded Naruto with a look of appraisal on his face. "'A shinobi must prepare before it's too late'", he quoted another shinobi rule. "You exceeded our expectations by putting that seal on the scroll and showed a lot of foresight; as did sending two of your shadow clones after or retreat. Very well done, Naruto-san", he finished, inclining his head at her.

Naruto felt a blush creep on her cheeks, she really wasn't used to so much praise. After all, she had just acted; it had all felt so natural to her. But that was probably why she had passed their test, she realized and suddenly something akin to pride filled her. Was she proud of herself? _Maybe. _She couldn't say for sure, because she had never felt like this before.

Naruto was shaken from her thoughts, when Kakashi mentioned her name again. "I am very proud of you, Naru. You also proved that you never forgot the most important rule of a shinobi."

Naruto's blush increased under Kakashi's intense one-eyes gaze. And had he just called her 'Naru'? Still, she finished for him. "Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash." A genuine smile tugged at her lips. "I had a really good sensei, you know?", she grinned at Kakashi, who smiled at her fondly in return.

"Abandoning the mission, though, was the right choice in that moment, Naruto", Tsunade said and gave her another fond smile.

* * *

><p>Two days later and a lot of well-deserved sleep on Kakashi's couch later, Naruto and Kakashi were having dinner together in the grey-haired jounin's small kitchen. Naruto was still living with him, but it would change soon, because tomorrow she was finally going to meet her new team mates.<p>

"So what do you think?", Naruto asked between bites, looking over the table at her sensei.

Kakashi had stopped eating, his chopsticks halfway to his mouth. Naruto looked at his strange expression. He wasn't wearing his mask, which made it a great deal easier for Naruto to read the man.

"What?", she asked, sounding rather defensively, "I thought it was a nice plan."

Kakashi blinked and set down his bowl of rice. "It _is_ a good plan, Naruto. I'm just a little surprised, to be honest", he answered.

Naruto shrugged. She had decided on it, so she'd go through with it. Besides, it was necessary. Depending on the reaction she received from her new team mates tomorrow, all her future plans could be upset. She just hoped she had made the right choices.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later, Naruto jumped into Tsunade's office, entering through the window, which earned her an empty sake bottle flying at her head. She sidestepped it without effort and stood in front of the Hokage's desk.<p>

"You wanted to see me, baa-chan?"

"Yes, brat, come here", the blonde beckoned her closer to the desk. "As you are now officially an ANBU captain, you also gained the right to wear an animal mask. Together with Jiraiya, Kakashi and Anko, we decided on which mask fits you the best."

She reached under her desk, opening a drawer and presented the porcelain mask to the blonde girl.

Naruto accepted it from her. The white mask had red and black markings and very small ears, but Naruto was unable to tell what animal it was supposed to be. She ran a hand over the smooth porcelain and found several old scratches. This mask was obviously not a new one. _Who did you belong to before?_, Naruto mused silently, tracing a black line with her fingertip.

"You have no idea what animal it is, gaki, admit it!", Tsunade smirked, watching the look on Naruto's face.

The blonde looked up, blinking. "It doesn't matter, I already like it", she said, but Tsunade explained it nonetheless. The girl listened, as the older blonde told her what animal it was supposed to be and why they had chosen it for her.

Tsunade finished and saw the grin on Naruto's face. "I see you still like it."

Naruto nodded and was about to put the mask on, when she noticed two letters scratched into the back side of the mask, just above the openings for her eyes. _U.I._ It said, wondering what it could possibly stand for, Naruto made a mental note to think about it later. She had a favour to ask of the Hokage. She needed to see a file on a massacre and a certain clan and find out whether her new informant was telling the truth.

* * *

><p>Three hours later, Naruto was lying on Kakashi's couch, but sleep wouldn't come. Her mind was racing. Itachi had not lied to her, when he had said that everything wasn't as it seemed. He had been ordered to kill his entire clan by the Elders of Konoha.<p>

Different emotions were churning inside of the blonde. First there was the inability to understand how anyone could kill his whole family. Naruto had never had a family and thus the pure thought of killing her precious people was revolting to her. How could Itachi go through with it? Because his clansmen were traitors? Naruto was trying very hard to imagine whether she could have put the welfare of the whole village over her own family. She doubted it, but in the end, she couldn't say. After all, she never had a family, so she wouldn't know how it must feel. At least that was what Sasuke had accused her of, of not understanding his pain, because she never knew the love of a family. What would have happened if Itachi had not killed his clan? Would the Uchiha have taken over Konoha? But what were their plans? And would Sasuke still be in Konoha? Naruto had no answers. Realizing that thinking about it was futile, she closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru, Neji and Kiba were tree-jumping through the forests surrounding Konoha. They were supposed to meet their mysterious new captain today. Said captain had given orders for them to meet him – or her – in a clearing, quite a few miles a way from the village itself. So far, the boys didn't know why.<p>

It was early morning and the air was still a little cold from the night. Shikamaru's feet hit a branch, he pushed himself off, flying towards the next branch.

After four weeks of constant training with Neji and Kiba during the mornings and ANBU training with Kakashi during the afternoons, the young Nara was feeling better than ever. Even though the training had been as troublesome as he had predicted, the young Nara also had to admit that he had definitely liked it. By now, he was openly curious about the new captain and whatever mission it was they were sent on.

Flexing his knees, he landed on another branch for a mere second, before jumping on again. It was funny how he felt so much more alive after the intense training. He felt more energetic and it happened less frequently that he wished he was cloud-watching instead of training. His new ANBU uniform felt good on him, although the tanto strapped to his hip was still an unfamiliar weight. Also he still winced whenever he felt chakra running through the ANBU tattoo on his left upper arm, indicating that the Hokage wanted to see him. The mask on his face was new as well. It would take some time getting used to wearing it all the time, but it was less troublesome than he had thought at first.

Neji stopped before him, dropping down to the ground. They had arrived in the clearing. The three young men walked into the open field, the grass under their feet was still wet with dew.

There was no sign of their new captain.

"Where is the guy?", Kiba mouthed, what all three were thinking.

"He is not here yet, Kiba, be patient", Neji reasoned in his calm voice.

"Thank you, Mr. Obvious", Kiba glared at the slightly taller teen, but the effect was lost thanks to the Bear mask on his face.

"Calm down, Kiba", Shikamaru tried to silence the impulsive Inuzuka.

Kiba muttered something under his breath, but otherwise kept quiet.

The three were watching the surrounding tree lines, searching for any sign of their captain.

Very slowly, fog started rising from the ground. They didn't seem to notice it at first, but eventually the tree lines vanished from sight, swallowed by the dense, white fog.

"Guys, what's going on?", Kiba whispered.

Shikamaru looked around. This fog didn't seem natural to him. "Neji, what do you see?"

Neji immediately activated his Byakugan, which he was about to do anyway. The veins around his pale, pupil-less eyes protruded prominently. With the x-ray vision of 360 degrees, he scanned their surroundings. "There's chakra in the fog, I can hardly see through it", the Hyuuga announced, staring on ahead into the fog.

Shikamaru took in the information. So he had been right, this fog was not a natural occurrence. "Kiba, do you smell anything?"

The Inuzuka was already sniffing next to him. "No, it's like the fog swallows all scents. It makes hearing more difficult, too."

Shikamaru was about to ask another question – when it hit them.

A killing intent of the likes they had never felt before.

All of them gasped at the oppressive feeling. It was so powerful, breathing became harder. Akamaru whined pitifully, flattening himself to the ground, crawling closer to Kiba.

"W-What...?", Kiba whispered, going down on one knee due to the sheer power directed at them.

Shikamaru gulped. He shut his eyes fiercely, trying to shake off the feeling of death. The killing intent was so thick in the air, it felt like it was crawling over his skin, groping for him.

His eyes shot open at the sound of both Kiba and Neji sucking in a sharp breath. He looked up and suddenly wished he had not opened them again.

There, looming over them, stood a giant fox with red-orange fur and dangerous, blood-red eyes. Its nine tails were massive, cutting through the fog.

The three ANBU stared up at the massive monster. There was no doubt about what they were facing. Everyone in Konoha learned about the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, the Kyuubi no Yoko, who had attacked the village almost seventeen years ago.

"Neji", Shikamaru whispered through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse from fear, "is it an illusion?"

Neji had not deactivated his Byakugan, so he was staring at the beast – and he saw its chakra pathways. This was no illusion. "No", Neji forced out, destroying Shikamaru's hope.

The fox took a step closer, the earth shaking under his feet. The sudden movement shook the three somewhat out of their fear-induced stupor and they jumped backwards, getting farther away from the monster.

Shikamaru was working furiously on coming up with a plan. He was the team's strategist after all, but for once, his mind seemed to be utterly empty. He knew he couldn't use his shadow-based techniques on the fox. The demon would probably laugh at the pitiful display and shake off the controlling shadows with ease. No, he would only waste chakra, if he tried attacking like that.

"Kiba", the Nara whispered to his team mate, "attack him with your _Gatsuga_!"_ (4)_

Kiba glanced at the whining Akamaru. "Come on, man", he said, trying to coax the large dog into attacking. But it was no use, the dog was too afraid of the demon, his tail tucked in between his legs. "Coward", Kiba barked, but his voice was so small and shaky, it betrayed his own terror.

Neji stepped forward, falling into his Juuken stance. "I'll try to hit it with my _Hakke Kusho_", _(5)_ the brunette said, jumping towards the fox.

With his hand bent at the wrist, Neji pushed his arm forward with a high-speed palm thrust, releasing a vacuum-bullet at the monster, attacking it from a relatively safe distance.

Shikamaru watched, holding his breath, as the attack hit the fox straight in the face. The beast roared, throwing his head back as if in pain, but then – it vanished into thin air, 'poofing' out of existence.

Surprised silence spread over the clearing. Simultaneously, the three boys released the breath each of them had been holding. Kiba and Shikamaru shared a confused glance behind Neji's back. What happened?

Before any of them could speak, a figure appeared in the last wafts of mist, walking towards them. Red chakra billowed around the person, manifesting like a cloak, surrounding the whole body.

The figure came closer and Shikamaru and Kiba quickly stood beside Neji.

Shikamaru saw long, blonde hair moving around the figure's head. Three dark whisker-marks were standing out against the tanned skin, visible even against the chakra's red haze. Shikamaru looked up into the person's eyes, expecting to meet ocean blue orbs, but instead, they were slitted and blood-red.

Neji stared at the approaching person. Something about the malevolent chakra felt familiar. He was sure he had felt the evil energy before. He had _fought_ this person before.

Kiba sniffed. He knew that person's smell. The fog was no longer hindering his senses and even through the dense cloak of evil chakra, he smelled a familiar scent.

"Naruto?", three male voices asked, astonished.

All of a sudden, the oppressive killing intent died and breathing became easier again. The red chakra around the person dissolved slowly, revealing a young woman with sunny blonde hair and ocean blue eyes. The boys took off their ANBU masks to get a better look on her.

"Hey guys", Naruto greeted, waving a hand at them, as if nothing had happened.

"What the hell, Naruto?", Kiba yelled, angrily throwing himself at the long-lost girl. She ducked, which sent him flying over her head. He landed on all fours, but before Kiba attacked again, Akamaru gave a warning yelp.

Kiba looked at his dog, who was watching him with the pitiful expression still in his eyes.

"Maybe you should listen to your dog, Kiba, and not attack people who are stronger than you", Naruto said, smirking at the Inuzuka.

"You", Kiba growled, but stood up. Pointing at Naruto, he yelled, "What makes you think you can talk to me like that?"

Shikamaru sweat-dropped. Had the boy not just witnessed the same as him and Neji? And he had thought that the ANBU training had actually helped in reducing his impulsiveness.

The blonde coolly smirked at her old class mate. "I", she started, "am your new captain. Show some respect, dog-breath."

This made Kiba shut up. He blinked at the smaller girl in front of him. _She _was their mysterious new captain, who had requested them?

Neji stepped closer to Naruto, giving a small bow. "Uzumaki Naruto, it is an honour to work with you", the Hyuuga said in his deep voice, startling the blonde. She blinked, not knowing how to react. She had not expected this from Neji. The last time she had faced him, it was during the fight of the chuunin exams and she had beaten his ass and thoroughly insulted his lifestyle and his belief in fate while doing so.

"Um", she mumbled unintelligently, looking away from Neji's pale-eyed gaze.

Shikamaru watched the girl. He had spent a lot of time thinking about her during her absence and now she was finally back. He had many questions for her, but those had to wait.

He strolled closer and stopped in front of her. She was so small, easily a head shorter than him and the other two. Freeing a hand from his pocket, he placed it on the younger teen's shoulder. "Naruto", he said, no trace of his usual lazy drawl in his voice. The blonde stared back up at him with her ocean blue eyes.

Naruto saw the waiting questions in Shikamaru's gaze. She had not forgotten that the Nara had rescued her from the beating over three years ago. Maybe she was still owing him an answer.

"It's good to see you back", Shikamaru smiled, letting his hand fall off her shoulder.

"Ne, guys", Kiba spoke up once more, "am I the only one wondering what the hell just happened?" He stared back and forth between them.

Naruto sighed. She needed to explain herself; and so she did. She had planned the first meeting with her team mates like this, because she needed to see how they were going to react to the demon. So she had created a shadow clone, which had henged into the Kyuubi. The resulting monster was not nearly as massive as the original one in Naruto's mindscape, but she didn't want the whole of Konoha to see the fox clone and alarm everyone. That was also why she had chosen a meeting point so far away from the village.

"I needed to see, if you can handle a killing intent so powerful or if you'd cower away, unable to think from fear", Naruto explained, "because it is highly unlikely that you will ever encounter someone with killing intent more potent than mine."

The boys looked at her and once again it was Kiba, who asked the obvious question. "Why would your killing intent be stronger than anyone else's? I mean, it was super damn strong, I was sure I was going to die", the wild-looking boy admitted without shame, "But why? And why did you use the freaking Kyuubi?"

Shikamaru regarded his new captain expectantly. Why _had _she used the Kyuubi? Only as a means to create immense fear? He remembered how the people in the village hated Naruto and how they called her a demon; how he had found her getting beaten and the man telling her to die. He noticed the pained look in Naruto's eyes and suddenly all the pieces fit together.

Naruto braced herself. She could feel Shikamaru's intelligent eyes on her. He had figured it out. But to her surprise, he didn't say anything, but kept staring at her, waiting for her to tell them her secret. She respected him for it, so she took in a deep breath and for the first time in her life, she willingly revealed her secret.

"The Kyuubi is sealed within me since the day I was born."

A stunned silence followed her words. Naruto's voice had been cold and emotionless as she had said it, but inside, she was more than nervous. How would they react? Would they hate her just like the villagers? She was angry at herself for her insecurity, but if those three wouldn't want to team up with her, she'd probably have to pursue her plans alone.

Yet again, Kiba was the first to talk. "So you mean the demon wasn't killed by the Yondaime?"

"No", Naruto shook her head, still not looking at any of the boys. "He wasn't able to kill it, so instead he sealed it in a newborn baby, turning me into a Jinchuuriki."

Neji intently watched his new captain. He couldn't begin to imagine how hard Naruto's life must have been so far. He knew how it was to live with a seal, being looked down upon. But his burden of the caged bird seal suddenly looked like joke in front of what Naruto must've lived through. And coming out like this was indeed a wonder.

Since none of the boys said anything, Naruto nervously looked up. Seeing their thoughtful expressions, she steeled herself and asked her last question.

"So, knowing that I'm the Kyuubi, are you still willing to accept me as your captain?", again her voice didn't betray her emotions. She now stared at the boys, inwardly dreading their answer.

Shikamaru sighed lazily. "I can tell already, it's going to be very troublesome, but why not."

Naruto turned her head to look at him. His words may not have sounded very enthusiastic, but his eyes told her that she could count on him. Being an ANBU seemed to have changed the lazy heir.

"I say it again, Naruto-san, it's an honour to work with you", Neji said, giving her a gentle and reassuring smile.

"Ne", Kiba huffed, shrugging and rolling his eyes, "I said I won't ever lose to you again, Naruto, so I won't chicken out now, you hear me?"

Neji chuckled at his team mate and spoke quietly. "Kiba, you do realize that you kind of already lost to her, right? She's our new captain."

Kiba huffed, seeing the logic, and shook his fist at Neji.

Naruto suddenly felt like a huge weight was lifted off of her. She had her team. The three had accepted her, even though they knew about her tenant. It was not the whole village acknowledging her yet, but it was a very good start.

Feeling more light-hearted than in a long time, she thanked the guys with a foxy grin.

"Naruto", Shikamaru spoke up, not able to wait with his questions, "why did you specifically _request_ us?"

Naruto smiled an empty smile and started to explain. "I need a multifunctional team; one that is not only specialized on tracking for example. So I chose each of you, because of your abilities."

She turned to Kiba. "I chose you, Kiba, for your abilities in tracking. We will have to do quite a lot of that in the future, I'm afraid. Even though my sense of smell and hearing is excellent as well, Akamaru will be a great help. Besides, your clan techniques are mainly offensive and mid- to long-range techniques. We will need that, too."

Kiba looked very pleased with himself after Naruto finished and winked at Akamaru.

Naruto turned to Neji. "Neji, your Byakugan will also help in tracking, especially if we need to observe closed buildings for example. Your Gentle Fist Taijutsu is mainly close-ranged and very powerful. Everyone knows that you're an excellent shinobi, but I also chose you because of your knowledge about the human body and the chakra system. I suppose learning medical jutsus from Tsunade-baachan was easy for you, right?"

Neji nodded, it had indeed been not as difficult as he had first assumed. His perfect chakra control and the Byakugan had helped him a lot. Of course, he was not nearly on the level of Sakura, who had been the Hokage's apprentice for almost three years, but he would be able to heal most of the wounds.

Shikamaru watched as Naruto turned to him. He was quite curious to hear what the girl was going to say about him. "You probably think that the most important reason why I chose you, is your intelligence and your incredible strategical skills", Naruto began, looking up at him. "Well, it _is_ one of the reasons."

Shikamaru sweat-dropped. "But", Naruto went on, "I also need you because of your shadow-based techniques. We need someone, who is able to restrain an opponent. I had first thought of someone who knows genjutsu, but there was no one available, so we will have to do with your shadow binding techniques."

How had she managed to praise the other two like that, but Shikamaru only got this? Seeing how his face fell, Naruto quickly went on. "Don't get me wrong, Shika, it's not like you're second choice. Actually, you will play one of the most important parts."

Shikamaru listened, dreading to find out what his task was going to be. It was probably going to be troublesome anyway, so he stopped hoping.

"Without your strategies, this whole endeavour won't work." Shikamaru sweat-dropped once again, so it was back to him being used for his intelligence. Well, he could live with that. It wasn't that troublesome after all.

Apparently finished with her explanation, Shikamaru marvelled at how Naruto had thought about each of them. He saw why she had Neji learn medical jutsu and Kiba's new sensory type jutsu would come in handy as well. Whatever Naruto had in mind, it seemed to be rather extensive.

"So, Naruto", Kiba chimed in, "since when are you back?"

Naruto thought about it. "Well, I returned for the first time six weeks ago, but left the next day again. Then I came back after four weeks, in which I trained with Anko-sensei. Well, and then I had to leave again on a mission – which was actually a test – a week ago and now I finally returned completely."

Kiba blinked, not completely following Naruto's explanation, but he caught the word 'test' and asked the girl about it.

"It was a test disguised as a mission. I had to pass it, so Tsunade-baachan could promote me to ANBU captain", the girl answered.

"Wait, you've been captain for only a week?", Kiba sputtered.

"Well, technically, it has been only two days so far", she said, rubbing her head sheepishly.

"Tche, not fair! Why didn't they make me captain?", Kiba wondered aloud, but at the deadpan expressions on the others' faces, he started to pout.

"I've also just recently joined ANBU, Kiba, so stop sulking", Shikamaru drawled lazily, rolling his eyes at his old friend.

"By the way, Shikamaru", Naruto addressed him. "What animal did you get?", she wanted to know, referring to the Nara's ANBU mask.

At that Kiba started laughing, pointing at the Nara. Shikamaru only sighed, taking his mask off his belt and put it on.

"It's an _owl_!", Kiba laughed, apparently highly amused about it.

Naruto looked at the mask. It had a beak and black lines around the eyes, which looked like feathery eyebrows. But she saw it.

"Huh, and I thought they'd give you a sloth mask", Naruto said matter-of-factly, which made Kiba laugh even harder and Neji smirk.

Shikamaru took off the mask again, attaching it to his belt. "I don't see what's so funny about it, Kiba", the Nara said, sounding a little offended and irritated.

Kiba, getting his breathing under control, looked at his friend. "Man, we're ANBU, we're supposed to be _dangerous_. Look at me and Neji! He got a Tiger mask and I got a Bear mask. Hello? We are _dangerous_ and _strong_." Naruto's eyes widened at Kiba's reasoning and Shikamaru huffed. "An owl is just not dangerous, man", Kiba finished and barked another laugh.

"The Owl mask represents my intelligence. Owls have always been a symbol of wisdom", he defended himself.

"Yes, like I said, _really _dangerous", Kiba laughed at his explanation.

The Nara ignored the foolish Inuzuka and looked expectantly at Naruto. "What animal did you get?", he asked her.

Liking her own mask, Naruto freed it from her belt and put it on. A moment of contemplating silence followed.

Then Kiba burst out laughing again.

"What the hell, Kiba?", Naruto yelled, surprised at the reaction. Well, she hadn't recognized the animal her mask was representing at first glance either, but now, knowing it, it was easy to see.

"It's a _skunk!_", Kiba roared, pointing at Naruto's face.

"WHAT?", Naruto screamed at him, some of her old temper showing through, "It's not a skunk!"

Looking for help at the other two boys, she saw Shikamaru smirk. Forgotten was his supposedly not 'dangerous enough' animal. "Well, Naruto", the Nara began, "it has small ears... and those whisker-like markings around on the cheeks... It _could_ be a skunk, you know."

Naruto glared at him. _Traitor,_ she mouthed at the pineapple-haired boy, who suddenly wished he had not said anything.

"It's a _weasel_, idiots!", Naruto declared, huffing and crossing her arms over her chest defensively.

Kiba was still laughing. "And how is a weasel supposed to be better than a skunk?"

"A weasel is an agile and swift animal", Neji came to Naruto's help, "it is flexible and a very skilful hunter."

"See, dog-breath", Naruto said, sounding pleased.

"Hum", Shikamaru mused, "but why didn't you get a fox mask, Naruto?"

Kiba shot an incredulous look at the other brunette. "Tche, Shika, wouldn't that have been super obvious, considering that she's the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki?"

Shikamaru saw the logic and just shrugged.

"And I thought _I'm_ supposed to be the idiot here", Kiba mumbled, shaking his head.

Neji watched his new team. These were the people with whom he was going to spend most of his future time. Even though Naruto seemed to be quite energetic, there was a feeling hanging over her, that he couldn't exactly pinpoint. She was joking with Kiba, teasing Shikamaru and giving her foxy grin, but something had changed. Whilst he didn't know the girl as well as Shikamaru and Kiba did, Neji saw the sadness behind her smiles and the slight frown on her brow. Like all Hyuuga, Neji was extremely good in reading people and interpreting their body language; so he easily recognized the changes. The hyperactive, carefree blonde, that had defeated him during the chuunin exams, had grown up. Behind the playful banter with the Inuzuka, he saw a more serious, more mature version of Naruto. But why had she lost her smile? Was it thanks to Sasuke's defection? Neji saw a headache coming on and to say it in the Nara's words, Neji assumed whatever they were going to do, was probably going to be troublesome. Which reminded him...

"Naruto-san", the composed Hyuuga started, "this all sounds very interesting, but what exactly are we going to do?"

At that, all eyes turned on Naruto. The girl blinked at them and suddenly her face lit up.

"We, gentlemen", she said and flashed them a very feral grin that sent shivers down their necks, "go Akatsuki hunting."

* * *

><p><em>(1) <em>Ninpo: Choju Giga:_ Ninja Art: Super Beast Imitation Picture._

_(2) _Kawarimi no Jutsu:_ Body Replacement Technique._

_(3) _Gogyo Fuin:_ Five Elements Seal; is used to block or disturb the flow of chakra in the target's body. (Orochimaru used it on Naruto in the Forest of Death to lock away the Kyuubi's chakra)_

_(4) _Gatsuga:_ Man-Beast Taijutsu: Fang over Fang: Kiba and Akamaru spin very speedily; the force of the attack is strong enough to drill through stone; mid to long-range jutsu._

_(5) _Hakke Kusho:_ Eight Trigrams Air Palm: __the user precisely pinpoints the enemy's vital points with the Byakugan and releases a high-speed palm thrust; a "vacuum shell" compressed using the Gentle Fist is formed to attack the opponent's vitals from a distance, blowing them off their feet with tremendous force before they even notice they were hit. _

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><p><strong>The author says:<strong>

**Pheeew, long read... so now you're either bored or hopefully happy about the fact that I finally revealed who is in Naruto's team... (Although it was quite obvious, wasn't it?)**

**Next chapter: Naruto is going to meet her old class mates. How will they react to her and what will Konoha say? What about Sasuke, how is he faring? And what is Itachi doing in Naruto's apartment? Questions upon questions ;)**

**So, did you like it? And Naruto's further plan? Tell me what you think and feel free to criticize me!**

**Over and out,**

**xXHaneliXx**

PS: In case any of you are looking for a really nice modern AU SasuFemNaru story with some Drama and an interesting plot, check out the story '_Lean on me' _by _Aquilon!_


	10. Chapter 10

**The author says:** Hello everyone! Here is chapter 10 for you!

Thank you sooooo much for all the wonderful reviews! I can't believe how much feedback I got for the last chapter! You guys are awesome! Keep it coming, it makes me happy ;)

I hope you enjoy the new chapter as well! Have fun reading!

**I do not own Naruto!**

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><p><strong>'He had no idea'<strong>

**Chapter 10**

* * *

><p><em><strong>I'm coming home<br>I'm coming home  
>tell the World I'm coming home<br>Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday  
>I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes<br>I'm coming home, I'm coming home  
>tell the World that I'm coming<strong>_

_**- **_**'Coming Home' by Diddy-Dirty Money feat. Skylar Grey**

* * *

><p>"<em>Naruto-san," the composed Hyuuga started, "this all sounds very interesting, but what exactly are we going to do?"<em>

_At that, all eyes turned to Naruto. The girl blinked at them and suddenly her face lit up._

"_We, gentlemen," she said and flashed them a very feral grin that sent shivers down their backs, "go Akatsuki hunting."_

A stunned silence followed her words.

Shikamaru and Neji's eyes widened, not quite believing what Naruto had just said. _Akatsuki hunting?_ As in, trying to catch and defeat the supposedly strongest organization of criminal rogue ninja _ever_? The ones who were after the Jinchuuriki, such as Naruto herself?

Before the two brunettes could voice their questions, Kiba broke the silence. "Aka-_what_?"

Shikamaru and Neji sweat-dropped at their team mate's lack of knowledge. They all had been briefed on the Akatsuki in ANBU. There was not one ANBU, who didn't know about them... Or apparently there _was_ a single one.

Neji finally supplied an answer for the ignorant Inuzuka. "The Akatsuki, Kiba-san. An organization of S-rank missing-nin. And in fact the most wanted group in the shinobi world. We don't know much about them so far, but apparently they are after the Bijuu."

At Kiba's blank face, Neji quickly went on, trying hard to keep his famous patience. "The Bijuu, Kiba-san. The Tailed Beasts, such as the Kyuubi. They were sealed in children and the Akatsuki want to extract them. For what reason exactly, we don't know yet, but it can't be good."

Naruto rolled her eyes at Kiba. "Man, dog-breath, you better pay attention from now on or I'll replace you before you know it!"

Kiba huffed, but quickly muttered something about just having forgotten about it.

"So, Naruto," Shikamaru addressed their new captain, "how would we hunt them? I mean, no one knows where they are or when they will strike. It's not like we have any useful knowledge about them."

Naruto smirked at the boys. "That's where you're wrong, Shika. Fortunately, someone is providing me with very useful insider information on the members of Akatsuki and their plans."

The Nara frowned. "Who would be able to offer insider information on them, except for a current or former member?"

Naruto's face returned to a serious expression. She was about to tell her team who her new informant was. Hopefully, they would take it better than Tsunade and Jiraiya. Both were not pleased about the idea, to say the least. Although they had found out about Itachi's true role in the Uchiha Massacre, they were suspicious of him and didn't like it at all that Naruto had accepted his wish to help him rescue Sasuke. Naruto wasn't too sure about the whole idea of rescuing Sasuke either, but she had made a deal with the older Uchiha and hence would not go back on her word. Itachi had promised to give her information at least once a month and their meeting had been over six weeks ago already. He was only two weeks late, but still, a tiny spark of doubt was growing in Naruto; which made her wonder whether he would keep his side of the bargain. But on the other hand, if he didn't, Naruto would not help him to get back Sasuke and the older Uchiha had seemed just too desperate to throw away this chance. So she'd wait.

"It is a current member," Naruto revealed and the boys' eyes widened. Konoha had not much knowledge on the Akatsuki and up to now they only knew of Orochimaru as a former member and Uchiha Itachi and his partner Hoshigaki Kisame as current members. Assuming that Naruto had no contact to Itachi's fishy partner, it left the Uchiha himself as the only possible informant.

"Uchiha Itachi," Shikamaru said quietly in realization, the frown deepening on his irritated face.

Naruto nodded in confirmation and three very questioning pair of eyes focused on her.

"Why would you trust a traitor, Naruto?", Kiba asked curiously, but uncharacteristically serious. Whatever he might think of Naruto, he was sure that the girl would never trust the man who was responsible for her best friend's misery and his consuming thirst for revenge.

The girl then told them of her encounter with the Uchiha six weeks ago and also of Itachi's mission to kill his clan. She left out that she had agreed to helping him, but Shikamaru was too sharp and realized that the Uchiha would not offer information like that for nothing.

"What does he want from you in return, Naruto?", he asked suspiciously, his intelligent eyes on the blonde captain.

Said captain averted her eyes and lowered her head. She didn't know why, but somehow she didn't want to see the expression on their faces when she mentioned Sasuke.

"I promised to help him rescue Sasuke." Her voice didn't betray any emotion of how she might feel about that promise, but Neji was skilled enough in reading people's body language that he realized that Naruto didn't feel comfortable about her promise. Even though her eyes were looking at the ground, he saw the slightest shifts of her feet and the tiniest movements of muscles on her face. Naruto was obviously still affected greatly by Sasuke's betrayal. Just thinking about the boy seemed to trouble her.

Sharing a knowing glance with Shikamaru and shooting a warning one at Kiba, Neji cleared his throat and tried to distract Naruto's thoughts from her former best friend. "So, about the information...?" he trailed off, waiting for the blonde to catch on.

Naruto's head shot up, forcing her attention back to the conversation, she told them about the contents of Itachi's first scroll. Up to this point, they knew about all the members, their partners and specialisation. It was not much, but at least a start. To actually start hunting them down, they relied on Itachi's next information. Until then, they'd have to train and probably go on other missions. The three boys had had the time to build up their team work for a whole month, but none of them had worked with Naruto yet. In order to be efficient and successful with their plan, they needed to be prepared and able to rely on each other unhesitatingly.

"So..." Naruto began, "Now that you know what we're going to do and that it's without a doubt going to be quite dangerous... Are you still with me?"

Her blue eyes calmly regarded the boys. This was their last chance to chicken out. They might have agreed to working with her after finding out that she was a demon container, but she couldn't take it for granted that they'd risk their lives on missions that promised to be rather reckless and adventurous.

Shikamaru once called himself 'the number one in running away'. He had preferred his lazy lifestyle, watching clouds, sleeping in class and spending his days with his best friend Chouji. He had avoided everything that looked to be troublesome. But right now the thought of running away from this task didn't even cross his mind for a mere millisecond. He had no doubt that the word _troublesome _could by no means come close to what was waiting for them. Moreover, there was a high probability that they lost their lives fighting S-rank missing-nin.

Shikamaru was aware of the fact that all of their skills and abilities had improved tremendously – and he had not yet seen Naruto in action – but they were mere teenagers. Not in their dreams could they measure up to the battle experience of the Akatsuki members. They would be outclassed, beyond doubt. But with enough information on the group and knowing all about their secret techniques and tactics, they were able to meet them on even terms. It all depended on their own strategies. And Shikamaru would make sure that those were going to be foolproof – or at least as foolproof as strategies against criminal S-rank shinobi could be.

"It can't be helped," the pineapple-haired Nara drawled, "but I guess you need me and my brain. I won't let you kill yourself just because you lack a proper plan, you know."

Kiba rolled his eyes at the genius. "Geez, Shika, the brains you have went to your head!" he teased and added, "You wouldn't survive two minutes without me and Akamaru!"

Naruto took his boastful words as his way of saying that he would join them. She focused on the Hyuuga, who was the last to answer.

"I called you a failure once, Naruto-san," he began in his serious but gentle voice, a tone of regret and maybe shame in it, "but you showed me that fate is not everything and that one can fight against his destiny. You made the impossible possible, a failure like you defeating a prodigy like me." His pale eyes shone with respect for the blonde girl.

"If anyone can take down the Akatsuki, I believe it is _you_, Naruto-san," he finished almost solemnly and Naruto felt a blush creep on her cheeks.

Unconsciously, she rubbed the back of her head, feeling a bit awkward and embarrassed about the confidence the Hyuuga had in her. Neji gently smiled at her, which made her turn her head away, only to meet the sight of Kiba's cocky grin and Shikamaru's amused smirk. Naruto felt a grin tug at the corner of her lips.

"Thanks, guys," she said in a serious tone, wanting the three to know how much she appreciated their answers.

She let the grin split her face in two and suddenly she felt like she could take on the whole world right this minute. Naruto now definitely had her team.

* * *

><p>Having cleared up the most important questions, said newly formed team made its way back to Konoha; their ANBU masks back over their faces and Naruto's hood hiding her blonde hair once again. It was still before noon and Naruto had a lot to do today. She was going to make it publicly known that the demon brat was back in Konoha. Or so she had planned.<p>

Before the four went their own ways, Kiba declared that Naruto needed to meet their old friends as soon as possible. "I'll tell the others to meet us tonight at Ichiraku's ramen, alright Naruto? You still love ramen, don't you?"

Naruto blinked stupidly. _Ramen?_ "I... I don't like ramen any more...," she breathed, stating this fact aloud for the first time. It felt still weird to her that she had lived without ramen for the last three years.

Somehow her lust for ramen had vanished. It was not that she really didn't like it any more, but it was rather the fact that someday, her beloved ramen had lost its appeal. Ramen had been a constant in her life on which she had been able to rely on. It was the cheapest food for her to buy, but also she had truly loved and enjoyed it. The delicious taste of the salty noodles had somehow comforted her, eased her mind when the pressure of Konoha's hatred was becoming too much to bear. But then, one day – and she denied to connect the date to Sasuke's defection – ramen had lost its ability to comfort her. Salty noodles were just that – salty noodles; no more hidden consolation in a bowl of ramen.

"Um...," Kiba mouthed, unsure of this new development, "would you prefer barbecue?"

"Sure, why not," Naruto agreed and Kiba told them that he'd tell the others to meet them tonight at the barbecue restaurant. He wanted to surprise the others with Naruto's return and the boy was so enthusiastic about it that Naruto couldn't object.

Kiba and Neji said good-bye and jumped away, but Shikamaru hesitated. The huge gates of Konoha were looming up in front of them, but before he parted from Naruto, the Nara heir wanted to ask the blonde some more questions.

Sensing that her new team mate wasn't satisfied yet, Naruto looked at him through the holes of her Weasel mask. "You won't leave it alone, will you?" Naruto sighed, looking away from him, not waiting for his answer. She knew it; Shikamaru certainly was persistent. "Just pick me up tonight for dinner, alright?"

Shikamaru nodded in agreement. He had waited with these questions for over three years, some more hours wouldn't make a difference.

* * *

><p>Naruto changed back from the ANBU uniform into her normal clothes in Kakashi's apartment. The jounin was not at home right now; apparently, he had to go on a mission once in a while, too.<p>

The blonde gathered her few belongings and exited through the front door. The beloved hood was hiding her features and her blue eyes. She told herself that she'd remove the hood as soon as she was downstairs on the street. After all, she wanted the people to know that she was back... right? And no one knew that she was wearing black leather pants and revealing tops by now. The civilians would never connect the loud-mouthed child Naruto to the serious young woman she now was. But the hair, eyes and whisker-marks would give her away.

Stepping onto the street in front of the apartment complex Kakashi lived in, she shot glances to the right an left, but the street was empty. She started to walk in the direction of her own apartment. After some minutes of walking alone, her hand reached up, intending to push back the hood. Her fingers were already touching the smooth black cloth, when suddenly a civilian woman with her daughter turned around the corner, walking straight towards Naruto. She let go of the hood as if it was on fire. Her hand dropped back to her side; the hood stayed in place.

Naruto felt her heart racing. What was going on with her? Was she truly that afraid of confronting the villagers? Everything had gone so well this morning with the boys, better than she had dared to imagine. Why was it so hard for her to show her face now? Was her fear so great? The villagers had no idea of the power they had over her. Which was definitely better this way. Ashamed of herself for her weakness, she took to roof-jumping, cutting short the walk to her apartment, never shedding the hood.

The blonde let out a shaky breath as she came to stop in front of the red door of her apartment. It looked even more shabby than she remembered. She took out the rusty key she hadn't used in over three years. The lock protested for a second, but finally the door swung open.

Naruto stepped into the sad room of an apartment. Expecting clouds of dust and musty air, she was quite surprised when she was greeted by clean floors, a freshly made bed and no visible spider webs. Someone had been in here.

Suspicious, Naruto listened carefully for a hidden attacker. She sweat-dropped a little at her own behaviour. No one could hide in a one-room-apartment with a dingy bed, a small dresser and the small kitchen as pretty much the only furniture. She didn't sense any presence hiding in the tiny bathroom either, so there was really no one trying to ambush her. And why would anyone trying to ambush her clean her apartment beforehand?

Closing the door behind her, Naruto's eyes fell on a note pinned to her door from the inside.

_Naru,_

_I thought you might want to come back to a clean apartment. I hope you don't mind, but I sent a genin team to take care of it this morning. (Don't worry, they have no idea who lives here and I threatened them thoroughly, so I don't think they stole anything. Not that there is anything one might steel from you anyway...)_

_You're welcome at my place any time, should you feel like visiting your old sensei!_

– _Kakashi_

_P.S.: Sorry, but there wasn't really anything except for orange bed sheets._

Naruto chuckled softy at the random note. Although she didn't like the thought of having strangers in her apartment at all, she still appreciated the gesture; it was really kind of nice. In a Kakashi kind of way.

She threw her worn back pouch onto the freshly made bed. The sheets were indeed a bright orange. It reminded her of the child she had been three years ago; trying to attract attention at all costs. Today, she definitely preferred more subdued colours. However, she did neither have the money to buy something as unimportant as new sheets, nor did she care enough. They were only sheets after all. She would have to patch the holes in the future, though.

She sat on the orange bed and it creaked heavily, even under her light weight. The mattress was so thin and shabby that she could feel the broken frame through it. The blonde girl let out a weary breath. Even sleeping on Kakashi's couch – no, even sleeping on the ground in the forest – had been more comfortable than this sorry excuse of a bed. Maybe she should move to the floor?

Her eyes wandered over the small kitchen unit, where she had prepared endless bowls of instant ramen. Her cooking skills were pretty much non-existent, the only things she had ever succeeded in were pouring milk over cereals and heating the instant cups of ramen in the old microwave. The fridge was probably empty and the cupboard full of forgotten instant ramen cups. But gone was her craving for ramen; which meant that in the future, she probably needed to learn how to cook properly.

Her eyes fell on the dresser opposite of her bed, next to the door to the bathroom. She had never owned many clothes and when she had left with Jiraiya, she had taken most of them with her. It was probably empty except for some holey socks.

She looked down at the nightstand next to her. There stood the picture of the old Team Seven. She hadn't felt like taking it with her when she left, but neither did she have the heart to throw it away. Naruto grabbed the picture frame and stared at it. Sakura in the middle, smiling, happy about being placed on a team with her precious Sasuke-kun. Kakashi, patting hers and Sasuke's heads, smiling his famous one-eyed smile. Her blonde self, glancing at Sasuke, her rival; the envious look in her blue eyes spoke volumes. Sasuke... a broody and rather unhappy look on his face. Naruto sighed. Had Sasuke already been thinking about leaving Konoha back then? But no, it wouldn't make sense. It was only after Orochimaru put the Cursed Seal on him during the Chuunin Exams that Sasuke's need for revenge and power reached an unhealthy level.

Shaking off the depressing thoughts, the blonde opened the top drawer of the nightstand to hide the photograph, when her eyes fell on a long-forgotten Konoha forehead protector. She pulled the drawer out completely. The crossed out Konoha insignia glistened in the light, as if mocking her. It was Sasuke's old Hitai-ate; the one he had worn during their fight in the Valley of the End. With her free hand she took it out. The dark blue cloth felt smooth under her fingers. She ran her thumb over the scratch she had created on it with her rasengan. This scratch was the only proof that she had been able to stand up to Sasuke – until he had shoved the chidori through her chest, aiming to kill. The proof for _that_ was the ugly scar right over her heart.

Suddenly angry, she threw the picture and the headband into the drawer and shut it forcefully; the wooden nightstand shaking from the violent treatment.

Naruto leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees. She buried her face in her hands, breathing in and out deeply, trying to get rid of the sudden whirl of emotions. What was wrong with her? Only earlier this morning, everything had been alright, more than that even. And now she was almost breaking down from taking a look at a freaking photograph? Kyuubi felt her distress and tried to force his chakra onto her. Shuddering from the effort to suppress the demon's evil intentions, Naruto clawed at the pain in her chest. Why was the dull ache hurting so much at times like these?

* * *

><p><strong>Five weeks earlier: somewhere in an underground lair in Otogakure<strong>

Sasuke lay panting on Orochimaru's bedroom floor.

He had succeeded. Orochimaru was dead and the Snake Sannin would never take over his body. Even though his sensei had been seriously weakened, the fight had taken its toll on the Uchiha.

Did he regret killing his sensei? _No, definitely not._ Sasuke had never felt any kind of attachment to the snaky bastard. He had been only another means to get stronger, to fuel his hatred. What would happen if word of Orochimaru's death reached the Elemental Nations? Would someone come after him? It actually surprised the raven a little that until now no one had tried to retrieve him again. But why was he expecting it anyway? Was it because he couldn't shake off the thought of a certain blonde dobe? Very deep inside of him, Sasuke felt a tiny spark of disappointment that the girl had not tried to 'rescue' him again. Naruto had seemed to be so intent on bringing him back to Konoha during their fight. She had even cried, begged him to return home with her. But he had severed that bond... Had he actually been successful? Was that why no one was looking for him? Unconsciously, his hand reached up to claw at his heart. The dull ache was pulsing through his chest, reminding him of too painful memories, buried deep inside of his avenger's heart. Why was the dull ache hurting so much at times like these?

Sasuke's breathing became less strained and he slowly lifted himself up to his feet. He grabbed his large chokuto from the ground and slit it back in the sheath strapped to his lower back. On slightly unsteady feet, he left the dark room. He had no time to lose.

His plan was simple. Kill Orochimaru and escape. He had not had much time to come up with it, so it was not really well thought-out. His dark eyes scanned his surroundings as he was walking through the corridors. Kabuto had left the hide-out to get new medicine for his master, but it was only a matter of time till he came back. And right now, Sasuke had to be realistic; normally, Kabuto was no match for him, but in his now weakened state, he needed to escape as quickly as possible.

But first he needed to get to the laboratories. He had decided on gathering a team for his next mission; which was finding Itachi and then killing him. But being chased by Oto-nin and possibly Kabuto himself, could prove more difficult than he anticipated. Crossing through a large hall, he opened a door, which led to Orochimaru's main lab.

Straightening up a little, the raven walked over to a water tank, in which Orochimaru kept one of his live experiments. A white-haired boy about his own age, regarded him curiously, as Sasuke stopped in front of him.

Sasuke wasn't really sure why he chose the boy to help him, but he had met him several times already and even though his belligerent attitude was annoying, Sasuke also knew that Hozuki Suigetsu was a skilled shinobi. So the boy would escape with him.

It was not that Sasuke felt pity to leave him behind, his intentions were purely self-serving. It would just be easier for him to escape the Land of Sound with a second person to help him defeat the ninja Kabuto would undoubtedly send after him.

Besides, Sasuke needed to admit to himself that he had no idea where to find his brother. He had to begin somewhere and again, having a second pair of eyes helping him, might prove useful. Furthermore, he was planning on assembling two more of Orochimaru's followers. A girl named Karin, who was a very skilled sensor and currently in charge of one of the Sannin's bases, and a man called Juugo, who was imprisoned in yet another base. He had met the three during his three years with Orochimaru and they were the most fitting for his plans. Besides, he was sure that they would follow him instead of Orochimaru.

Listening half-heartedly to Suigetsu's demand of retrieving some sword if Sasuke wanted him to follow him, Sasuke agreed, not really caring about it. He had no idea where to begin his search for his brother, so wherever they needed to go to get this sword, it was fine with him. But before they needed to escape and get the other two.

With a last glance at Orochimaru's laboratory, Sasuke and Suigetsu took off.

* * *

><p>Naruto didn't know how much time had passed, but since it was almost dark in her poor little room, it must've been several hours. Exhaling deeply, she ran a hand over her dry, burning eyes. She had been staring into her hands for hours, trying to make sense of all the emotional chaos inside of her.<p>

She got up from the bed, her legs and arms stiff from sitting slumped all day. She stretched her arms over her head, enjoying the feeling of her muscles relaxing. Switching on the small lamp on her nightstand – it was the only one that worked in her shabby apartment – she glanced at the watch on the wall. Realizing it was obviously broken, Naruto decided to take a quick shower before Shikamaru came to pick her up for meeting the others.

The tiny bathroom was cold, but Naruto didn't even think about turning on the heating – there was none. She undressed quickly and stepped into the shower. Ice cold water hit her body, causing her to gasp from the shock. How had she managed to forget that there was no hot water in her apartment? Trying her best to adjust to the chilling coldness, she washed and rinsed her long blonde hair as quickly as possible and hopped out of the shower. In the cupboard under her sink she found an old and thin orange towel. It was barely large enough to cover all important parts. She remembered how this towel had fallen down to her ankles when she was just a child. She had grown more than she realized.

Ignoring the dresser, she went to her bed and took a scroll from out of her back pouch. Unsealing a new set of clothing, she redressed in her 'scandalous' outfit, when she felt a familiar chakra signature approaching. She walked over to the door to open it.

A pineapple-haired Nara stood in front of her door, his fist raised to knock. "Um, hi, Naruto," he said, lowering his hand.

Naruto ran a hand through her still wet hair and rubbed it with the orange towel in an attempt to get most of the water out of it. "Hey Shikamaru, just give me a second," she said and disappeared in the bathroom.

A speechless Shikamaru was still staring at the spot where Naruto had just stood. What the hell was she _wearing_? A _bare_ midriff? And _leather_ pants? Sure, the boy had noticed how tightly her ANBU uniform was hugging her now more womanly figure, but this... this was... even too much for his normally uninterested self. _How troublesome._ Naruto looked hot. He had to admit it. He was a teenager after all and he could only handle so much. The wet, blonde hair had not been helpful either and the fact that she was obviously oblivious to how beautiful she looked, made it even more appealing, adding an innocent touch to the daring outfit.

Naruto came back, stepped out of her apartment and locked the door behind her.

Shikamaru stared at the exposed skin of her midriff. He just couldn't help it! She was a little too skinny for his personal liking, but still the muscles on her stomach were nicely defined, not too much, but enough to show how hard she trained. The leather pants were riding dangerously low on her hips and Shikamaru was glad that the girl was standing with her back to the door now or otherwise he would probably be shamelessly checking out her leather-clad behind.

Clearing her throat threateningly, Naruto was able to shake the boy out of his stupor, and the Nara's eyes quickly shot up to meet her amused blue eyes. Naruto's hands shot up to pull the hood over her hair and eyes and she waved at Shikamaru, gesturing for him to take the lead.

The two walked in silence for some minutes, Shikamaru trying to collect himself and Naruto feeling very self-conscious about being on the streets again.

Naruto saw Shikamaru opening and closing his mouth several times next to her, but no words came out. Finally, she turned to him, "Just ask away, Shika, don't worry. If I don't want to answer, I just won't."

Encouraged by her words, the clan heir asked what Naruto had expected. "Three years ago, you know, when I found you being beaten... Was it because of..." he trailed off, gazing at Naruto's hidden face under the hood.

She pulled it away enough for him to see her eyes, but keeping her hair covered. "Because of the Kyuubi, you mean?" she finished for him, sighing. She had never talked about this to someone else of her age. "Yes," she whispered, an unreadable expression in her eyes.

"It was not the first time, was it?" he whispered back, trying not to upset her by bringing up obviously unwanted memories.

Naruto openly looked at him. What was she going to say? Deny it? Shikamaru was far too clever to believe her lies and besides, the boy was for some unknown reason genuinely concerned about her. And he did rescue her back then. Somehow she felt like he deserved to know the truth.

"No," she admitted, closing her eyes, "it wasn't."

Shikamaru watched the different emotions crossing over Naruto's face. He didn't need Neji's skills of reading people to see how much those memories pained Naruto. Living as a Jinchuuriki must have been even more difficult than he had dared to imagine.

"They hate me, Shika. All of them," she whispered in a hollow voice that somehow was more painful to hear than an actual show of emotion. The blonde looked up at him. "The villagers despise me for having sealed the Kyuubi in me. I won't lie to you, because I know you won't accept it. But just please, don't feel pity for me!" Her blue eyes were cold and daring him to tell her he felt sorry for her. But Shikamaru knew better than to anger her now.

"Beatings were one of my lesser problems," she went on and shrugged, as if being beaten was indeed nothing. "They won't let me buy food or charge me twice the money for bad products, but you know... Someday they will stop seeing the demon in me and acknowledge me..."

Shikamaru saw the determination in her eyes, but there was insecurity in her voice and an almost longing tone to it. Naruto was obviously still dreaming of being recognized by the Konoha citizens and he was unable to imagine how hard it must've been for her to grow up with the knowledge that the village she lived in hated her. He remembered how he had heard some of the civilians call her a demon, telling her to die. What kind of person would do this to a helpless child? He felt disgusted, knowing that he fought for those people everyday, risked his life for people who had no qualms about beating up a child. A child without a family, with no one that cared about it. Shikamaru stared into Naruto's too blue eyes, which were silently pleading Shikamaru to tell her it was really going to happen one day; that the villagers would overcome their hatred one day. Was that why the child Naruto had so desperately tried to get everyone's attention? Why she had dreamed of becoming Hokage? Before he knew it, the question had left his mouth.

"To become Hokage?" Naruto mused, "Well, it _was_ a dream once, but I don't think I want to be Hokage any more. There is so much else to do right now." _And it's very unlikely that the villagers will ever accept me as their leader, _she added silently.

Shikamaru sensed the unspoken words and saw the impassive acceptance in her gaze. It made him sad to see the blonde girl so unlike her usual bubbly self, something like resignation in her eyes. But maybe Naruto had always been like this deep inside; no one could endure such a treatment completely unharmed after all.

"Like hunting the Akatsuki?" Shikamaru prompted, intently staring at her.

She nodded. "You know, I just can't wait for them to attack me any moment, always trying to hide or run away. That's just not who I am."

Her ocean blue eyes gazed up at him, too many emotions in them for Shikamaru to comprehend them all. But a new sparkle lit up in them, reminding him of the feral glow in them, the moment she had told them about hunting down the members of the Akatsuki. Years before, one would see this glow in her eyes when she talked about becoming Hokage. Her dream had apparently changed, but still, it was not less ambitious at all.

Shikamaru marvelled at her personal growth. The child Naruto would have been rambling by now, shouting about her dream and whatnot. But the young woman in front of him was considerate and showing an intelligence that Shikamaru had never connected her younger self to. He realized that he liked this version of Naruto better, even if he was sad about the circumstances that had brought on these changes.

Giving in the urge to comfort her, although Naruto had threatened him not to show her pity, he suddenly closed his arms around her smaller form, pulling her against his chest.

A surprised Naruto stood stiffly for a second, before carefully returning the hug. Shikamaru was warm and he smelled of a fresh shower. Why was he hugging her? It was not pity, she felt it. But what was it then?

"Why do you care about me so much, Shika?" the blonde girl whispered against his chest, but he heard her clearly.

Chuckling softly to himself, he realized that this was the third time someone asked him why he cared so much about Naruto. The first time, it had been Jiraiya, right after he had rescued the girl from her attackers; the second time, it had been Kakashi, only some weeks ago, when Shikamaru had asked him if the rumours about Naruto's return were true; and now, the third time, it was the girl herself, asking him the very same question. And once again, he gave the very same answer, speaking into the cloth of her hood that hid her sunny hair.

"Why wouldn't I care about you, Naruto? I consider you a good friend of mine."

Naruto was stunned. Shikamaru considered her a _friend_? A _good_ friend even? But why? What did he know about her after all? Sure, they had played together during academy days, but was that enough to call someone a friend? Naruto remembered her own naiveté and how she used to call Sakura her friend when the pink-haired girl had repeatedly insulted her and openly disliked her from the beginning.

Shikamaru could almost hear Naruto's brain working through the confusion that seemed to have followed his words. He chuckled again and tightened the hug. "Don't ask why, Naruto, just accept it."

With that he loosened his hold on her and to Naruto's utter amazement, placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. He let go of her and turned around, walking away towards the restaurant in which their friends were waiting.

"Come on, idiot! We're already late," he called over his shoulder and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Naruto felt her mouth hanging open. She quickly closed it and her right hand reached up to meet the spot where Shikamaru's lips had touched her skin. It was not a kiss that a lover would give you, it was rather a brotherly kiss, offering comfort, showing her that she was not as alone as she had assumed.

_A friend?_ Naruto wondered. _Bonds? _Was she really forming bonds again? Had the incident with Sasuke not shown her how stupid it was to form bonds? How easy it was to be hurt? Gaara had said it was all about trust. Was she trusting Shikamaru? What reason did she have not to? Was there actually one? The boy had been surprisingly nice and thinking back, he had never been mean to her during academy days. And now he was her team mate. She really needed to trust her team mates. Did it mean forming bonds again? It probably did. Was she okay with it? It felt nice to call Shikamaru her _friend._ And for a team to function properly, she needed to rely on the guys. How would she do it, if she wasn't able to trust them?

_This is more difficult than I had anticipated. _How come she had not realized that all her plans included new bonds, trust and people who helped her. She wasn't alone any more. She had her team and that was what she had wanted. Was she really that blind to not see that her former belief in bonds was slowly returning to her?

There were so many questions Naruto found no answer to. But Shikamaru had unknowingly pushed her thoughts into a direction that she had avoided to take. On one hand he had set off all those stupid questions, on the other hand, he had also provided Naruto with one clear answer. She did neither feel threatened by the idea to form a bond of friendship with him nor did she feel like it was wrong. Instead, she knew that she couldn't go on like this, mistrusting and apprehensive of everyone.

_This is all stupid Sasuke-teme's fault!_ Naruto spat inwardly, cursing the raven, who continuously invaded her thoughts. But had it actually ever helped the Uchiha to cut off all bonds and ties? Naruto didn't know how her former best friend was faring under Orochimaru's tutelage, but one thing she was now sure of. Sasuke was alone. And she now had a team.

Naruto stared at Shikamaru's retreating back. Sadly, the boy – _her friend –_ didn't see the somehow entranced smile on her lips.

* * *

><p>Some minutes later, the two arrived at the restaurant. Shikamaru stopped in front of the entrance, turning around to Naruto. He looked down at her, searching for her eyes under the hood. "You know, this hood is really troublesome."<p>

The blonde shrugged. The hood was her only protection against the hateful stares of the villagers; she wasn't going to admit her current weakness, though. She still hadn't dared to take it off, even though she was walking with Shikamaru. _Later,_ she told herself, but apparently, the Nara had other plans.

He removed his hands from his pockets and lazily but determinately reached up, pulling the hood off Naruto's head, revealing her sunny blonde hair and ocean blue eyes – which were now darting glances left and right. It somehow reminded Shikamaru of a caged animal. Was Naruto really that afraid of being seen by the villagers? Once again the scene from the alley came back to him and he sighed inwardly. No surprise that the girl in front of him wasn't too enthusiastic about meeting those people. Deciding to make her feel better, he grabbed her hand and pulled her along after him.

The girl stumbled into the restaurant close at his heels, surprised about the usually lazy boy's sudden initiative.

Shikamaru expected their friends to be sitting at their usual table and indeed, he was proven right, as all of the other rookie nine – minus Sasuke, of course – but plus Team Gai and Sai, came into view. He saw that there were still two free spots, between Kiba and Neji. It seemed as if the two boys were already thinking like a real team, intending to sort of shield their new captain from the others in the middle of them. Appreciating the gesture, he cleared his throat, for that their friends would stop their animated chatter.

Everyone looked up at the newest guests and Shikamaru graced them with a lazy wave of his free hand. The other was still holding tightly onto Naruto's. Squeezing it comfortingly, he pulled her into view and several surprised gasps sounded from the gathered shinobi.

The girl herself was holding her breath. This was one of the moments she had dreaded the most. She was already unbelievably grateful for her new team mates' acceptance, but who knew whether the reunion with her old class mates would go as smoothly. She was oddly aware of the stares she received. What would they say? Would they be mad at her for not properly saying good-bye all those three years ago? Would they even care about her any more?

Her eyes caught Neji's level gaze. Almost unnoticeably, he bowed his head at her; both a gesture of respect and greeting. Kiba grinned at her, baring his fangs, the red triangle tattoos on his cheeks stretching. She saw Sakura's green eyes staring at her, shyly and insecure. Sai was there, too; his dark eyes smiling his fake smile as usual.

"Na-Naruto?" a disbelieving female voice questioned loudly. Naruto's eyes snapped to the bleach-blonde girl, Yamanaka Ino. Once again, Naruto was surprised as the taller girl jumped up from her cushion, dancing over to Naruto and hugged her.

Naruto stood stiffly, not exactly knowing how to react. _This is good, just hug back, _the voice of instinct spoke to her quietly. Knowing she could rely on her instincts, Naruto slowly hugged back; since her one hand was still locked with Shikamaru's it was a bit awkward, but Ino had already let go and was now looking at her. Her pale blue eyes wandered over Naruto's body and Ino suddenly laughed.

"Naruto, who would have thought that you finally developed a sense of fashion during those three years?" she laughed, winking at Naruto approvingly. This made the others look at the missing blonde more closely.

Next to her, Shikamaru shook his head. "Troublesome," he muttered, as especially the guys checked Naruto out. Kiba grinned a goofy grin, openly staring at Naruto's exposed skin and tight leather pants. Her blonde hair had finally dried and was falling freely down her back in soft waves. Her messy bangs was framing her face, somehow managing to make her look both fragile and tough. While the outfit made her look like the strong kunoichi jounin she was, her hair and face softened her appearance. Nonetheless, Naruto was beautiful, no one at the table would deny it.

Feeling a little self-conscious, Naruto let go of Shikamaru's hand, squeezing it in thanks before, and put on a cheery grin. It looked so much like her old childish grin, that it easily fooled most of her old class mates. Neji, being the master of reading body language, narrowed his eyes at the girl. He saw through the fake grin, as seemed to do Kiba, because the Inuzuka now called for Naruto to join them at the table, patting the cushion next to him.

Naruto ignored Neji's scrutinizing gaze and walked over to Kiba, sitting down next to him. Shikamaru took the last free cushion between her and Neji. Ino also sat back down and started questioning her about her travels with Jiraiya. Naruto found it hard to tell them about it. The three years had gone by so fast, she had experienced so many different things and she now felt like she didn't want to reveal everything about it. The time had also been sort of very private and she had no desire to let them know of all the things she had felt and seen. So she talked about minor things, like the different countries she had seen, the people she had met and so on. It was way easier to talk about other topics instead of about herself.

Pausing for a moment, chewing on a piece of meat, Lee took the chance to speak up. "Naruto-san, it is a pleasure to see how the youthfulness burns brightly in you! I can't wait to tell Gai-sensei of your youthful adventures!" He finished with a 'yosh' and punched his fist in the air, very energetically.

Tenten face-palmed exasperatedly, even though – or maybe because – she was used to her former team mate's antics.

"Naruto," Ino began, "will you go on missions again? With your old team?" She was referring to Team Kakashi plus Sai instead of Sasuke.

_My old team?_ Naruto mused. It didn't feel like her _old_ team. Not with Sasuke gone and Sakura hating her – or was she still? Naruto didn't know, but somehow didn't feel the energy to care much. The pink-haired girl had majorly annoyed her during the mock mission. Naruto didn't think she could work with her again in the future. Sakura's attitude towards shinobi life still needed a lot of improvement. Whatever great medic she was, she lacked skills as a shinobi and Naruto certainly wasn't planning on working on a medic squad. She had her own ANBU team, about which she felt really good. She couldn't tell the others about it, though. Joining ANBU was not a topic you discussed openly. There was a reason why it was so important to keep the members' identities a secret. Although the others had probably guessed that Neji and Kiba had joined ANBU, the two would not confirm it. And neither would she. No one expected the lazy Shikamaru to be an ANBU anyway, so there was no one really suspecting him.

Naruto gave a certain, "No," at the question whether she was rejoining Team Kakashi, but answered evasively about the other part, saying something about taking solo missions and doing more training.

The conversation took up again and Naruto was satisfied with only listening. So far, no one seemed to be mad at her for any reason and Naruto was relieved as well as angry at herself for being so insecure beforehand. It seemed that her return to Konoha had thrown her into a confusion of emotions. She was unusually insecure and churned up. Trying to shake off the feeling, she concentrated back on the others.

Shino was not saying much, just like he used to be before she left. Chouji seemed content with eating, but had warmly smiled at her in welcome. Hinata had greeted her with a stuttered "N-Naruto-ch-chan," which had reminded Naruto of the fact that she was the only one except for Iruka, who called her 'Naruto-_chan_'. After that, the Hyuuga heiress had managed to talk to her almost stutter-freely and Naruto actually enjoyed talking to the shy girl. It seemed that her meek nature had improved a little, but Naruto seriously hoped that Hinata would one day be able to lead her clan with confidence.

While talking to Hinata, Naruto noticed Kiba's entranced gaze, unwaveringly fixed on the black-haired girl. Had Hinata noticed it, too? The effect she seemed to have on the Inuzuka? Probably not, Hinata was just too oblivious to see such things. Had Kiba asked her out already? Naruto made a mental note to investigate in the future.

Naruto was interrupted from her inner musings, when a boisterous Ino squeezed herself in between Kiba and her, shoving a cup of sake in Naruto's face. The bleach-blonde raised her glass at the other blonde and both emptied their cups.

"So, Naruto," Ino leaned closer, a conspiratorial grin on her lips, "is there a man in your life? A gallant shinobi from a foreign country maybe?" She winked at the blushing Naruto.

"No, Ino," she mumbled, "there is no one."

"Mmh," Ino thought aloud, "I saw you holding hands with Shikamaru earlier, you know. You can tell me, I won't tell a soul!"

Somehow Ino's last statement left Naruto feeling very doubtful, but she couldn't deny the part about holding hands. "We-we're just friends," she assured Ino. The word 'friend' coming out of her mouth felt almost surreal. She hadn't called someone her friend since – since Sasuke had betrayed her. She felt her mood drop, but had no time to dwell on it, as Ino shot question after question at her.

"Naruto," Ino eventually cooed, her cheeks red from maybe a bit too much sake, "we have so much to catch up on! I'm so glad you're back! You know, forehead-girl is no fun since she's Hokage-sama's apprentice. She's working all the time! And Hinata is no fun either, her father is just too strict with her and she hardly has any free-time!" Her hand was patting Naruto's knee the whole time, like she was talking to a child. "I can feel it, Naruto! Things are going to change again, now that you're back in town!"

A feeling of foreboding sent a shiver down Naruto's back. Things were certainly going to change again. She just hoped it would be to the better. Feeling a bit uneasy all of a sudden, Naruto downed another cup of sake, trying to kill the churning emotions with the burning liquid.

* * *

><p>Hours later, Shikamaru nudged Naruto with his elbow. "You alright, captain?" he mumbled, too low for the others to hear.<p>

Naruto shot him a look. "Stop worrying about me, Shika, I'm fine," she said, suddenly overwhelmed by all that happened. The others were laughing and talking loudly, eating and drinking sake, trying to tell Naruto everything that had happened during her absence. It was too loud, too hot and too many emotions were still troubling her. The sake was not helping either, so she sighed a half-hearted apology to Shikamaru. The blonde got up from her cushion and endured the protests that followed her good-bye. Neji walked her to the door, watching her closely.

"Shall I walk you home, Naruto-san?" His friendly offer was only further irritating Naruto. Did she really look so pathetic today that all of them were worried about her? She was not some weak girl that couldn't take care of herself! She was Uzumaki Naruto! And she was a damn fine kunoichi! _A damn fine kunoichi, who is too afraid to take off her hood in public? Hiding behind it like a shield? Look at __yourself, no wonder they're worried about you!_ _You _are _weak!_

"Naruto-san? Are you all right?" Neji's concerned eyes looked down at her.

"Sorry, Neji," Naruto averted her eyes, "I just... spaced out for a second."

Neji narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously, but otherwise said nothing to the lame excuse. Naruto said good-bye and stepped out of the restaurant and into the night of Konoha's streets. Reflexively, she pulled the hood over her hair, the shield against the outside world back in place. She needn't have bothered, there was no one on the streets at this late hour. She walked alone, hands in the pockets of her tight pants.

She let her feet guide her and for some reason, she ended up in front of Kakashi's apartment complex instead of her own. Not bothering to knock on the door, she jumped onto his balcony and quietly opened the window to his bedroom. Being the jounin of high renown he was, Kakashi awoke almost immediately, but otherwise unalarmed, since he had recognized his student's chakra signature.

"Naruto, what's up?" he yawned, pushing himself into a sitting position.

The blonde girl sat crouched on his window sill, looking into the darkness of his room. The hood kept her face in even more shadows and Kakashi wasn't able to see her eyes or face.

"I just met with the others," she said; the tone in her voice not quite distinguishable for Kakashi.

"So how did it go?" he eye-smiled encouragingly with his both eyes, as he took his headband off for sleeping.

Naruto kept silent for some moments, then replied. "Okay, I guess. No one seemed to be mad at me. And I think they were even happy to see me again." Amazement at that realization swung in her voice, as if she hadn't yet comprehended it fully.

"See, Naru," Kakashi said cheerily, "I told you so!" Very pleased with himself, he questioned her about how the meeting with the three boys had gone just this morning. Naruto told him, a steady stream of words flowing out of her, feeling more herself than for the whole day and night.

None of them wondered about how they had a quite normal conversation in the middle of the night in Kakashi's dark bedroom. Naruto felt at ease around her sensei and retelling all that had happened helped her in sorting through all the different emotions inside her.

Eventually she finished, a little breathless all of a sudden from all the talking. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness perfectly and she saw Kakashi's mismatched eyes watching her. There was a question on her mind; one she wasn't sure whether to ask, as it was both kind of private and probably a bit rude to ask. Her sensei noticed her hesitation, saw her shifting on the window sill.

"Shoot, Naru!" the grey-haired jounin prompted, arching his eyebrows at her and showing the girl how much he knew her.

Naruto looked at him, a thoughtful frown on her face. "Why do you wear the mask, Kakashi?"

Naruto and the other members of Team Seven had asked themselves this question a myriad times, but never actually dared to ask. Why was Kakashi hiding his face? He didn't have some ugly scar or any other disfiguring features. Was he hiding behind it, just like her? Protecting himself against something? Or was it some entirely different reason for him?

Curious about his answer, she saw him smiling at her. "Why do you wear the hood, Naruto?"

It was a typical, mysterious Kakashi-answer, which left so much space for interpretation, but still revealed so much. Reflecting on why she was wearing the mask, she knew that it was personal weakness, her fear of being rejected again, of meeting those ice-cold, hateful stares. What was Kakashi avoiding? She didn't know and in fact, she didn't know a lot about her sensei's past, but she wouldn't pry further. He had answered her in his own manner, telling her that their reasons for hiding their faces were probably the same, but also entirely different. But Kakashi had revealed his face to her, voluntarily. It was only then that Naruto truly understood the extent of this gesture.

Feeling suddenly warm all over, she pushed her hood back over her hair, showing him the hesitant but genuine grin on her face. She inclined her head at him, meeting his mismatched gaze.

"You want to stay for the night?" Kakashi asked. Anyone who would have heard that offer would immediately think of something inappropriate, but to Naruto it was just an invitation to not spend the first night alone in her empty apartment. However, she shook her head, thanking him, but saying that she somehow had the feeling she needed to go to her own place.

* * *

><p>And indeed, her instincts had been right to tell her to go home. <em>Home?<em> She snorted in disbelief, how could anyone call this miserable place a 'home'? But still, she felt more at home in Konoha now than just two days ago. It had to do with the honest acceptance of her three team mates, who acknowledged her, even though they knew that she was a demon. The warm welcome she had received from her former class mates had helped, too. However, it would probably still take some time until she truly felt like she belonged.

Her senses were back to full alert, as she smelled a vaguely familiar scent in her room. She stopped in front of her door, listening. She heard the pulsing of a heartbeat coming from the other side and suddenly she knew who it was. _This day seems to be full of surprises._

She opened her door and stepped inside, outwardly casual, but tensing to counter in case she was attacked. She needn't have bothered, though. The raven-haired man sitting on her wobbly kitchen chair looked oddly out-of-place in the shabby room. His onyx eyes were just the same as his brother's and Naruto needed to look away from them.

"Uchiha," she said in greeting, walking over to him.

"Naruto-san," Itachi said quietly, watching her closely. "I've been waiting for you for forever."

Naruto wondered at the slightly whiny undertone in his deep voice. "What are you doing here anyway? Isn't it a little too dangerous for you to be in Konoha?"

"I'm honoured that you care about my safety, Naruto-san," he said mockingly and the blonde snorted. "But the fact that I was able to enter the village undetected, is what should have you worried"

Unfortunately, Naruto had to agree with him. It seemed like Tsunade needed to seriously change something about Konoha's security precautions.

Itachi watched her reaction and she scowled at him. "Why are you here, Itachi? I thought you wanted to send a scroll?"

"Yes," he said, "but I wanted to talk to you in person." Naruto's heart skipped a beat. Was it already time for her to keep her promise? Were they going after Sasuke now? She wasn't sure whether she was ready for that yet.

But to her relief, it was not about Sasuke. Not yet, at least. "Did you ask the Hokage for the reports on the Uchiha massacre?" the raven asked, his voice neutral and deep.

Naruto nodded curtly. Yes, she had read said secret report. And there was actually something she needed to say. "I read it. And I want to apologize for treating you like a traitor. You don't deserve that. I am sorry, Itachi."

The man's eyes widened in surprise. No one had ever apologized to him for calling him a traitor; well, no one exactly knew that he wasn't really a traitor. "Why do you apologize?" he whispered, stunned.

His surprise grew, when Naruto continued. "All my life people have blamed and hated me for things I had no influence on. Konoha despises me for something I have no control over. But you... Everyone thinks you are a traitor, although you are actually Konoha's hero! You put the welfare of the whole village above your own. Taking all the blame on yourself and living with the shame... No one ever acknowledged what you did for Konoha, Itachi." Her voice was serious and the look in her blue eyes sincere.

"You saved Konoha from the Uchiha clan's betrayal and I highly respect you for that." Her look turned into a glare and her voice was cold as she went on. "But never forget that I deeply resent you for what you did to your brother."

Itachi swore her ocean blue eyes flashed crimson for a second.

"What you did to Sasuke is inexcusable to me. I understand that you only meant to protect him, but you _destroyed_ him. I will never forgive you for that, Itachi."

The look in those blue orbs sent a shiver down Itachi's back. And it took a lot for Uchiha Itachi to feel uneasy. In a subdued and ashamed voice, he whispered, "I will never forgive myself either, Naruto-san."

Feeling the tiniest pang of guilt at how she had talked to the man, who very obviously blamed himself for his past mistakes, she swallowed and cleared her throat, trying to break the guilt-filled silence. "So, why are you here...?"

Itachi looked at her and Naruto took the second chair opposite him. It creaked pitifully under her light weight, but she was used to her shabby furniture and ignored the sound. The raven took a scroll from out of the depth of his Akatsuki cloak, putting it on the table between them. It looked just like the first scroll he had given her and trusting him enough by now, Naruto grabbed it and opened it. Her eyes skimmed over the notes. They looked like they were written in haste, always in different situations, whenever Itachi dared to take notes that marked him as a traitor yet again.

"Deidara and Sasori," Naruto read the names out loud. The scroll contained almost only information on the two.

"Yes," Itachi said, "you know that the Akatsuki is after the Bijuu." Naruto nodded in confirmation. "We work in teams of two and each team is assigned to capture one of the Jinchuuriki. Deidara and Sasori are after the Fifth Kazekage."

"Gaara!" Naruto hissed, not liking the idea of someone going after her friend.

"Yes," Itachi confirmed, "as you know, Gaara is the Jinchuuriki of the One-Tailed Shukaku, the Ichibi. Deidara and Sasori will attack Sunagakure in exactly three weeks from now."

Naruto intently stared at him. The Uchiha's voice was hard and resolute. "I want you to interfere and _kill_ them. So listen carefully, Naruto."

Naruto's eyes widened, but she listened as he wished, paying great attention to his words. He explained in detail about the team's strategies, their personalities, their abilities and whatever might be important.

Naruto digested all the information. Dawn was breaking by the time Itachi finished, painting the sky outside in colourful shades of pinks and reds. They both sat in silence.

Naruto's head was spinning from all that she had learned, but she had memorized everything as good as possible and she also had the scroll. Itachi ran a tired hand over his onyx eyes, brushing his long bangs out of his face, making him look actually human. The early sunlight cast a golden shine on him, the dark lines under his eyes standing out against the only slightly darker skin than his brother's.

The man got up, stretching gracefully. He waved over to the bed on which Naruto had left her ANBU mask, changing the topic.

"I see they found an honourable successor for my old mask," he smiled softly, which made Naruto blink. The sight of Itachi had taken some time to get used to, but the sight of a smiling Itachi would take even more time to get used to.

Then his words caught on and Naruto's eyes widened. She now remembered the initials scratched into the back of the mask. _U.I. Uchiha Itachi. Of course, _she thought. "So it was yours?" she asked despite knowing the answer.

Itachi nodded, before he innocently eye-smiled at her. "Did you hear any skunk-jokes already?"

"_What_!" Naruto exclaimed, annoyed that he, too, was teasing her about it, just like Kiba had.

The Uchiha chuckled. _Oh yes, this night was truly full of surprises._ "So you did, I assume."

"Why would you say that? It doesn't look like a skunk at all!" the blonde defended her animal mask.

"Well, it actually _is_ a skunk, you know," he chuckled and at Naruto's incredulous face, grabbed the mask from the bed and walked over to her. Pointing to the red markings on the porcelain mask, he asked, "Do you see these lines?"

"Yes," of course she saw them, _duh_.

"Look more closely," the man advised and Naruto now saw that the red markings looked slightly different than the black ones. Like they had been added to the mask later on...

"Imagine the mask without the red markings, with only the black ones," Itachi ordered and Naruto squinted her eyes, looking at her mask closely.

Her eyes widened in realization. Without the red markings, the supposed weasel mask looked like a freaking _skunk!_ "Nooo, _why_?" she almost whined, all illusions of having a weasel mask destroyed.

Itachi laughed at her unhappy face. "I reacted just like you when the Sandaime gave me this mask. Who wants to be known as a skunk, right?" His laughter faltered a little at the memory. "So I added the red markings and told everyone it was a weasel," he confessed and winked at the blonde girl.

Naruto stupidly blinked at him. Who would have thought that Uchiha Itachi could wink, chuckle, laugh and also deceive everyone about his ANBU mask? But frankly, who would honestly want to be known as a _skunk_? Naruto was so glad that Kiba didn't hear this. And she'd make sure that no one ever heard of it in the future.

Itachi's face returned to serious once more, which made Naruto sober up. She looked at him, waiting for what he was going to say next. "Did news about Orochimaru reach Konoha yet?"

Naruto shook her head. No news about the Snake Sannin. She dreaded those news and her heart rate increased despite her will.

"Apparently, my little brother killed Orochimaru about five weeks ago."

Naruto was unable to suppress the shocked gasp that escaped her lips. Sasuke had killed his sensei? Naruto felt relief wash over her. She clawed at her chest unintentionally. The teme had not let Orochimaru take over his body. But what now? Would he come back? Did she actually care?

"Where is he now?" she wanted to know.

"My last information is that he's gathering a team. To come after me and kill me," he sighed. "But I have no idea about his current whereabouts. It's not easy to hide my movements from the Akatsuki and my partner. But Sasuke is looking for me. He will find me when _I_ decide it."

Naruto nodded. If each of them was looking for the other, they were bound to meet eventually. But it seemed as if Itachi thought that the right time had not yet come.

"I wished we could go after him right now, but there is so much we need to take care of, Naruto-san," he looked at her almost pleadingly, trying to make her understand, why he put off rescuing his beloved brother. "I want the Akatsuki dead as much as you want."

He suddenly coughed, clasping a hand over his mouth. His shoulders shook violently and his skin paled visibly. Naruto felt strangely worried and got up, supportingly grabbing Itachi's arm. Naruto's sensitive nose smelled blood and she arched her eyebrows at the man. What was happening?

Itachi's coughing fit subsided and he straightened up again, eyes not looking at Naruto's questioning gaze. "It's nothing," he mumbled hoarsely. Naruto didn't believe him. Coughing up blood was not '_nothing_'. But she was not close enough to the man to further pry into his privacy.

The raven turned away, his back to her. "Be ready in three weeks, Naruto-san. You will hear from me again after that." He shot a last glance at her over his shoulder, eyes red from the coughing. "Take care," he whispered and shunshined away.

Naruto stood alone in her now brightly illuminated room. _What a weird first day._ So much had happened. And yet things were almost going too slow for her.

She had three weeks to come up with a plan to rescue Gaara and defeat two of the most feared shinobi in the Elemental Nations. _Easy-peasy_, she thought sarcastically, fuelled by both the lack of sleep and the sake that was still flowing through her system.

The blonde squinted her eyes as the first rays of sunshine blinded her. Rushing to the bathroom, she braided her long hair and tucked it into the hood. She grabbed her Konoha Hitai-ate and tied it around her forehead. Getting her katana and training equipment from atop the dresser and pulling the hood over her eyes, she 'poofed' away.

She had told the boys to meet her at the training grounds at sunrise. And a triviality like a night without sleep would not keep her from it. They needed to use the three weeks they were given wisely.

* * *

><p><strong>Next chapter: The new team sets out for their first mission! Will they be able to defeat Sasori and Deidara?<em> (And nooo, it's not going to be like in the Anime!)<em>**

**Thanks for reading everyone! Feel free to leave a review!**

**Over and out,**

**xXHaneliXx**


	11. Chapter 11

**The author says:** Hello people, welcome to chapter 11 of _He had no idea._ Once again I thank everyone, who reviewed liked and just read this story! I'm so happy about all the positive feedback!

I hope you enjoy this chapter, have fun reading!

**I do not own Naruto!**

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><p><strong>'He had no idea'<strong>

**Chapter 11**

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><p><em><strong>You're Not Alone<br>Open Your Mind**_

**_In a way its a matter of time_**  
><strong><em>I will not worry for you, You'll be just fine<em>**  
><strong><em>Take my thoughts with you, and when you look behind<em>**  
><strong><em>You will surely see a face that you recognize<em>**

**- 'You're Not Alone' by ATB**

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><p>It didn't take Naruto long to arrive at the training grounds. The boys were already waiting for her. The sun had now fully risen over the horizon and was making the dew on the grass sparkle.<p>

"Oi, Naruto," Kiba called out to the approaching captain, "What's up with the serious face?"

Naruto paused and only then realized that there was a scowl on her features. The talk with Itachi had left her restless. Three weeks to come up with a genius plan was not much time. But on the other hand, she had chosen one of the guys specifically for his strategic intellect.

"Don't shout so early in the morning, Kiba," Shikamaru drawled, yawning.

"It's not my fault you have a hangover, man," Kiba teased his team mate.

The Nara only rolled his eyes and muttered, "Troublesome."

Neji's attention was fully on the blonde girl that now stood next to them.

"Did something happen, Naruto-san?" he asked gently, his pale eyes focused on her.

Naruto snorted. "If you'd call Itachi appearing in my room in the middle of the night 'something', then _yes,_ something did happen."

"What?" Kiba exclaimed. "What did _he_ want?" Akamaru yelped next to him, looking up at the others with his dog eyes.

Naruto swiftly told them what Itachi had told her not even one hour ago.

A heavy silence followed her words.

Finally Shikamaru sighed, "I guess it can't be helped. It seems like we're going to need my brain faster than we had anticipated."

Now it was Kiba's turn to roll his eyes at his team mate. He muttered something about how Shika's brain was truly going to his head. On the other hand, even the Inuzuka knew that their team would probably be helpless, if Shikamaru didn't come up with a neat plan. He was in no way looking forward to coming face to face with one of those S-rank criminals so early after their team was formed.

Naruto tossed the scroll with the information on Sasori and Deidara to Shikamaru. "Study this and I'll tell you everything else Itachi told me about the two." She looked up at the brunette. "I expect the first outlines of a plan in three days. I'm counting on you, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru returned her level gaze and nodded at her. "Sure, taichou."

After that they began their first training together. The three boys soon realized that Naruto set a fast pace. She was merciless.

Kiba, who was paired with Naruto for his first spar, was soon wheezing and sweating. Akamaru was panting and his fur was dark from sweat.

The Inuzuka jumped backwards, just barely evading the girl's fist.

"Geez, Naruto," he panted, complaining, "if you beat me up now, I won't be able to fight properly!"

Naruto shut him up with a punch in the face. "Stop whining, dog-breath! If you're tired already, then maybe it's better if you quit now!"

The brunette sputtered. No one insulted an Inuzuka! He would show her! She was only a girl after all!

Akamaru growled lowly and dangerously, declaring that no one messed with his master, if the dog had any say in it. Naruto smirked at the large nin-dog. She was clearly not intimidated by the beast. She had a demon living inside her mind after all. It took more than some growling from the otherwise quite peaceful and – compared to Kyuubi – tiny dog.

"Ha, that's right, Akamaru, show her!" Kiba cheered his partner on.

Naruto grinned foxily and purposefully drew on the Kyuubi's chakra. Her eyes bled red and her pupils turned to slits. It was gone again within mere seconds.

Akamaru suddenly whined. His ears flopped and his tail wiggled, clearly afraid.

Kiba watched, incredulous. He had not seen Naruto's display. "What did you do to him, Naruto?" he demanded to know, angered that the girl had somehow influenced his partner without him realizing what she actually did.

Naruto's grin turned into a cocky smirk. "I just reminded him of who is Alpha here."

Kiba nudged his dog into the shoulder, trying to shake him out of it. Naruto was definitely getting on his nerves here. Was she aware of how annoying she could be at times?

With new vigour, he attacked Naruto with his _Gatsuga (1)_.

Naruto hid the knowing smirk. It was just too easy to get Kiba all riled up. But it was also quite helpful that she knew how to push his buttons. While she saw that Kiba had improved greatly thanks to his ANBU training, she also had the impression that the boy had been holding back before. Maybe he was trying to go easy on her, because she was a girl? Ts, hopefully her teasing would make him forget this, otherwise he'd be kissing the ground soon.

On the other half of the training ground, Neji and Shikamaru were supposed to be sparring, too. But both were mesmerized by what was happening in front of them.

Naruto was mercilessly teasing Kiba and they saw how the impulsive boy was getting angry.

"She sure knows how to handle him," Shikamaru smirked.

Next to him, Neji nodded. His neutral face showed some mild amusement as Kiba hit the ground with his face first, eating a nice amount of dirt. Akamaru was yelping, but it sounded somehow like laughter rather than a noise of concern for his human partner.

"I'm actually glad that Naruto is on our side," Shikamaru said quietly, not taking his eyes off the fight in front of him. "It would be just too troublesome, if Naruto was our enemy."

Neji silently agreed. The girl's improvement was astounding even to him. He was one of the few, who had felt Naruto's power during her childhood. Back then, the sheer amount of her chakra had already been incredible, but what he was sensing now was an intensity that he had never felt before. Even Gai-sensei's chakra didn't feel as wild and raw when he used The Eight Inner Gates' release.

The Hyuuga turned to his team mate. "Will you be able to come up with a plan, Shikamaru-san?"

Shikamaru felt the Hyuuga's pale eyes on him, but didn't turn his head. He shrugged. "I guess."

Neji's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "You guess? I hope you realize that the outcome of this mission highly depends on your plan."

Shikamaru closed his eyes for a moment. Turning his head to look at the Hyuuga, he opened them again; a determined glint in his intelligent eyes.

"Neji, I am fully aware of the role I'm playing. Don't worry. I'll come up with something." He turned towards the fight once more and added, "Besides, Naruto is counting on me."

Neji regarded the Nara with new respect. While Shikamaru's words were sounding almost careless at the beginning, Neji sensed the resolve in his posture and saw it in his eyes.

Neji also realized that Naruto was already having an influence on both Kiba and Shikamaru. One seldom saw the lazy genius like this. He recalled Shikamaru's words, _Besides, Naruto is counting on me._ Was that all it took to get the Nara to abandon his laid-back attitudes? Apparently, for Shikamaru it was enough. Naruto had faith in his abilities and hence the boy seemed to take his task more seriously than usual.

_Is Naruto aware of how much she is affecting those two? _Neji wondered. He knew for sure that the girl had left an important impression on him and he was grateful for it. _Somehow, Naruto has the ability to make people try to do their best around her._

He watched the fight between the girl and Kiba. It was clear by now that the brunette and his animal partner were losing. Naruto was charging the boy with her katana. The wind-chakra coated blade stopped mere millimetres in front of Kiba's face, as he threw up his arms, surrendering; a look of horror on his face.

* * *

><p>It was lunch time and Ino was happy that she could escape the dark and stuffy building of the Konoha Intelligence Division. As a member of the Torture and Interrogation Force, she spent most of her time inside doing... well, interrogation and torture most of the time.<p>

She met up with Sakura and Hinata for lunch at the Dango Shop. Hurrying down the busy streets, she arrived just in time. Hinata and Sakura waved at her in greeting and Ino slumped down next to her pink-haired friend.

They ate in silence for some time, when Hinata suddenly spoke up. By now, the other two girls were used to her soft voice. It had become more and more confident with time and her stutter was almost completely gone, only showing when she was particularly nervous or insecure.

"What do you think about Naruto-chan?" the Hyuuga heiress asked, her voice gentle.

Sakura guiltily looked down at the table, playing with her dango.

Ino swallowed loudly and said, "Oh, Naruto has really grown, don't you think? She's really going to be tough competition, I mean, did you see? She's become really pretty!"

Grabbing another dango, Ino started chewing again, looking at the other two girls expectantly.

Hinata sighed. Of course, Ino would only say something about Naruto's physical appearance. But hadn't the others noticed it?

"I know what you mean, Hinata-chan," Sakura said almost shyly. Her green eyes gazed away from the table and into the Hyuuga's.

"Huh, what do you mean, Billboard-Brow?" Ino asked loudly, but Sakura didn't even react to the usual insult.

Instead the pinkette went on, "Naruto has changed a lot. She isn't the same any more. I already noticed it on our mission together last week."

"You went on a mission with Naruto-chan?" Hinata asked, surprised. Ino's eyes widened, too, she hadn't known this either.

"Yes," Sakura confirmed, "but I wasn't allowed to talk about it. Tsunade-shishou's orders."

The others nodded. "But what do you mean, Naruto changed?" Ino wanted to know. "I mean, of course she changed. We all did. It's been three years! And I'm actually glad she stopped wearing orange."

Hinata almost rolled her eyes at the bleach-blonde Yamanaka. But her composed Hyuuga-mannerisms did not allow it. "Please don't be so shallow, Ino-chan," Hinata reprimanded her gently.

Ino sobered up and then said, "I know what you mean, Hinata-chan. How could I not have seen it? I'm on the freaking Interrogation Force! I would totally suck, if I hadn't noticed."

It was true. During interrogation Ino depended highly on her perceptive skills and being able to read people's body language was very important. Her mental techniques provided her with a profound knowledge of psychology and the workings of the mind.

Hinata and Sakura stared at Ino as the blonde said, "I can't pinpoint it for sure, but it's like the air around Naruto is heavier. The feeling she gives off has changed completely since our childhood. She used to be so carefree and joyous. But yesterday there was this odd feeling around her."

She stopped for a second, searching for words. Just as she wanted to go on, Sakura interrupted. "Darker and serious... grave, even."

Sakura remembered her first meeting with Naruto only too well; how Naruto's eyes had flashed a dangerous crimson and the oppressive feeling of her sickening killing intent. Sakura had been scared in that moment; scared of Naruto and the person she had become. She didn't know what was causing the strange vibes the girl was giving off, though.

Hinata's voice was small and sad when she said, "Whatever it is, I hope everything is all right with Naruto-chan. I'm sure she will find her smile again."

* * *

><p>It was late afternoon by now and the four young shinobi had ended their training – or rather, Naruto had finally decided that it was enough for the first day.<p>

They were dirty, sweaty and hurting. The boys more than their female captain, thanks to her Kyuubi-enhanced healing abilities.

Naruto felt good. She was very pleased with their first training. She was absolutely sure that she had made the right decision by choosing these three boys. They were not equally strong in every aspects, but they complemented each other nicely and as soon as there was more routine, Naruto was certain that they would function perfectly as a team.

The four young people were currently walking away from the training grounds and into the village, where they were planning to have a very late lunch or early dinner.

Kiba and Neji were walking in the front, Akamaru at their heels. Kiba was animately chattering, about how he had _almost_ managed to land a hit on Naruto, which made Neji wonder where the Inuzuka took the energy from after the harsh training.

Shikamaru was already deep in thoughts, the first outlines of a battle plan forming in his mind. Still, he saw Naruto fidgeting next to him. It reminded him of her behaviour the night before. They were walking in broad daylight now and Naruto was not hiding herself behind the hood.

Sensing her discomfort, Shikamaru put a hand on her shoulder. "Relax, Naru. You're not alone."

The blonde girl gaped at him. She really needed to get a grip on herself, if it was that easy to see that she felt uneasy. But his words were so true. She was not alone. Her team was with her and the villagers were not able to do anything to her.

Feeling reassured, she straightened up and walked on with her head held high.

* * *

><p>Naruto felt the first incredulous stares on her the moment they entered the main village and the crowded streets.<p>

Stall owners stopped in their movements to openly stare at the blonde Jinchuuriki. A woman stopped her sweeping, the broom hanging in mid-air.

A father pulled his two children protectively behind his back, away from the 'demon brat'.

A group of several women with shopping bags pointed at her and began whispering behind their hands.

Eyes followed Naruto's every step.

She suppressed the urge to break into a run and pull the hood over her head. If she gave in now, she'd give the villagers a reason to mistreat her again. Showing weakness was not an option now. And it had never been.

Her neck hurt from the effort to keep her head up, to not shrink back into herself.

The initial moment of surprised shock about the 'demon's' return soon vanished. Unbelievable eyes filled with an almost reflexive hatred directed at the blonde girl, who contained the Kyuubi.

Cursing her too sensitive ears, murmurs and curses reached Naruto.

Akamaru and Kiba must have been hearing them, too, because the large nin-dog bared his fangs at the surrounding villagers, a low and warning growl coming from his throat.

Naruto felt the tension building between her team and the civilians. She silently begged the others to not do anything stupid.

Their dishevelled appearance was probably not helping right now and the fact that Kyuubi was just too eager to raise his head, was making it hard for Naruto to suppress the scowl on her face.

She met the eyes of a shop owner, one of those who had repeatedly prohibited her from entering his shop. The man's eyes were filled with a passionate hatred, blind emotions directed at a young blonde woman he believed to be the Kyuubi in disguise.

The man's eyes widened at the sight of Naruto's sinister stare. Something resembling panic replaced the look in his eyes and he flinched openly, receding into the shelter of his shop.

A hand suddenly touched Naruto's left arm. "Geez, Naruto, calm down. And stop giving off that freakish killing intent."

Naruto blinked and shook her head slightly. She looked up at the pineapple-haired Nara, who was intently staring at her. That broke the tension and she felt the evil chakra surging through her.

Cursing under her breath, she prayed that her eyes had not yet shown any signs of Kyuubi's influence or otherwise she'd probably given the civilians all the more reason to believe she was indeed the Kyuubi reincarnated.

Seeing the brief flash of panic in the blue eyes, Shikamaru shook his head, silently telling her that she was worrying for nothing. Her killing intent subsided and he let go of her arm.

It was a miracle that the group hadn't stopped walking, so they continued until they arrived at the Dango Shop and quickly entered.

Naruto let out a breath she hadn't been aware of holding in; relieved.

The boys guided her to a table in the back of the little restaurant and pushed her onto the seat. She reacted wordlessly, feeling a bit shaken.

Shikamaru took the seat next to the blonde and the other two sat opposite them. Naruto didn't even notice them ordering and was surprised when a box of dango was set down in front of her.

They boys ate hesitantly, watching their captain, who seemed to be fighting an inner battle.

Indeed, inwardly Naruto was debating with herself. To some point, the first real confrontation with the villagers had gone better than expected; no direct attacks, no one who threatened or openly insulted her. But she had almost lost control right there. And if the boys hadn't been with her, she highly doubted that the villagers would have stayed as civil.

But now the word was out. Uzumaki Naruto, the demon brat of Konoha, monster and pariah, was truly back. She didn't know how many people had seen her, but it had been plenty enough. Word would spread.

She was unbelievably grateful that Shikamaru had shaken her out of her stupor. Kyuubi was always lurking in the back of her mind, waiting for opportunities just like this to show himself. Overwhelming her in a situation like this, when her emotions were in turmoil, was what the demon hoped for.

What would have happened if she had lost control? Would she have attacked the villagers? The people who were staring at her with those hateful eyes?

Naruto shook off the alarming thoughts and looked up. Three pairs of watchful eyes were focused on her. She blinked.

Feeling a bit embarrassed all of a sudden, she rubbed her neck in her old manner, and chuckled nervously, "Hehe, well, that went better than expected, don't you think?"

Shikamaru face-palmed. How had this gone better than expected? It was too difficult to follow the baka's train of thought. _Troublesome._

* * *

><p>Tsunade was sitting in her office. The outside world was dark. For once there was a cup of tea in her hand, instead of the ever-present sake.<p>

There was a small frown on her young features and her lips were pursed thoughtfully. In front of her sat a blonde Jinchuuriki and her grey-haired sensei. Jiraiya was leaning against the wall and Shizune stood attentively next to the large desk, clutching Tonton the pig.

Tsunade didn't know whether to cry or laugh. Naruto had just told them about Itachi's visit and the danger to the Kazekage.

_Three weeks, _the blonde Hokage mused, _is this really enough time? Is Naruto ready yet to face the Akatsuki? I wished there was more time._

"Kakashi," Tsunade barked, "you will leave for Sunagakure tomorrow morning. You will personally tell Gaara of the coming attack. Make sure that they prepare the village for it, but don't raise any alarms. We have to keep this as quiet as possible. If the Akatsuki realizes that we know about their movements, we will lose both our advantage and probably Uchiha Itachi as well."

Kakashi nodded. He had expected to be the one assigned to go see Gaara.

"I'm sure that Shikamaru is working on a strategy?" she addressed Naruto.

"Yes," the girl confirmed, "but we cannot solely rely on him. It's more important that we can rely on each other as a team. Therefore I want to go on at least two other missions before we go to Suna."

Tsunade stared at the other blonde. "What? But gaki, do you really think that's wise?"

"Yes, I do think so," Naruto said insistently. "We can't go on such a dangerous mission, if it is the first one for my new team. We have to get used to each other in real life situations. We can train all we want, but training doesn't give us experience."

Kakashi listened to his student. Her words were reasonable and he agreed with her. Training and a real mission were something else entirely.

"I want to be in Suna one week before Sasori and Deidara attack," Naruto continued. "That leaves two weeks for intensive training and two missions."

She focused on Tsunade, who seemed to be contemplating her demands.

"All right, gaki," the Fifth said, "I see your point. But what if any of you are injured? You need all your strength for the fight against the Akatsuki."

Naruto smirked confidently. "Then we just don't get hurt, right?"

* * *

><p>Two weeks had passed; filled with training that compared to torture, two successful missions and many strategy meetings.<p>

It was one week until the date on which Sasori and Deidara were supposed to attack Sunagakure. Kakashi was already in Suna, planning with Gaara and the Elders.

Naruto and her team were less than one hour away from the Sand village. They were travelling fast and would arrive with the setting sun.

The had left Konoha only one and a half day ago, pressing to arrive as soon as possible. They were heavily armed and each had a scroll with medical supplies on them. After sifting through all the information on the two Akatsuki members, Naruto had asked Tsunade to prepare an antidote against the poison, that Sasori seemed to use most frequently.

The sun was burning down mercilessly and even Naruto felt hot and sandy. Kiba was constantly complaining about the heat. Neji took it quite well, or maybe he just didn't say anything. Shikamaru muttered a strained 'troublesome' every now and then.

None of the others had been to Suna before. "Hurry up, guys. Only one more hour," Naruto said, her voice hoarse from thirst.

Her words gave the guys new hope and their speed increased once more.

Said hour later, four exhausted Leaf shinobi arrived at the gates of the Hidden Village. Their ANBU masks were in place, but the guards at gates were already waiting for them. To them, the ANBU team from Konoha was just a regular communication team sent from Hokage to Kazekage; no one was supposed to know, who was hiding behind the masks.

Even though Naruto knew her way through the village, the guards accompanied them to the Kazekage tower to keep up pretense.

* * *

><p>Gaara looked up from his paperwork, when a knock was heard. "Enter!"<p>

A masked ANBU with a hood threw the door to his office open. Three taller figures and a huge dog entered behind the first.

Akamaru stopped in the middle of the neat office and shook his fur. Sand flew in all directions, covering the otherwise spotless floor in a layer of yellow desert sand.

"Inuzuka-san, I see your dog needs to be taught some manners," Gaara said in his neutral voice, but Naruto heard both slight amusement and annoyance in his words.

The Kazekage stood up from his chair and walked around the desk to stand in front of the smallest person of the group. Like the others, the person was wearing the standard Konoha ANBU uniform, but there was a hood hiding what Gaara knew was sunny blonde hair.

The girl pulled said hood away and took off the Weasel ANBU mask. Sparkling blue eyes looked up at the redhead. "Ne, Gaara, you're in a good mood, I see."

Gaara tsk'ed and pulled the blonde girl into a tight hug. Naruto returned it without hesitating and enjoyed the strong arms around her. It had been only three months since she had last seen her fellow Jinchuuriki, but so much had happened in the short time, that it felt like years had passed.

The three boys were rather surprised at the open display of affection between the Kazekage and their captain. They knew Gaara had been a troubled child once. But what they saw now, proofed why he had been chosen to become the new leader of the Hidden Village of the Sand.

Neji watched the two Jinchuuriki, as they stood close together, sharing some teasing words. Naruto looked so at ease with the Sand-shinobi. Neji wondered, if Naruto realized that she looked happier around the redhead.

Gaara smiled down at his best friend. She looked so much better than only three months ago. Did she realize that the air of depression that had hung over her during her last visit had slightly lifted? It was not yet completely gone, but it was a start and Gaara was happy to see her more lively. The genuine grin on her scarred face made him feel warm.

The girl, that had visited him three months ago, had been a sad shadow of the young woman that was now standing in front of him.

"You look better, Naruto," he said, honest.

"I do feel a bit better, I guess," she answered him quietly.

"Good," Gaara nodded and only now paid attention to Naruto's team mates.

"Welcome to Sunagakure," he greeted politely, "I wished it was due to less serious circumstances that you visit my village."

The boys had taken off their masks and were greeting the Kazekage respectfully. They might know him a little and their captain was good friends with him, but that didn't allow them to cast aside all courtesies.

Gaara himself poured them a glass of water each, and they settled on the chairs around his desk. Since it was already late and dark outside, they decided to postpone all talk about the Akatsuki until tomorrow. The four needed some rest after the exhausting race through the desert.

Gaara invited them all to stay at his and his siblings' house for the time of their visit. As it was called a 'visit' and not a mission. They were not sure whether the Akatsuki had spies in Suna, so only Gaara's most trusted confidants knew about what was going to happen. Security had been raised as slowly as possible over the last two weeks, so that none of the civilians and also shinobi would be alarmed.

No one knew that the ANBU team that had arrived from Konoha, was Naruto and her team mates. Gaara would make sure that the same ANBU team would be seen leaving the village again tomorrow.

Word would spread tomorrow that Naruto, the Kazekage's best friend, was paying a surprise visit. The villagers would not find it conspicuous as Naruto's last visit three months ago had been a surprise as well. And as the two Jinchuuriki had spent every free minute together back then, no one would raise an eyebrow at Naruto's presence.

The small group finished talking and they made their way to the Kazekage's residence as quietly as possible.

The four ANBU were glad to be able to sleep. Kami knew they needed all the energy they had for what was to come.

* * *

><p>The next day Naruto's team, Kakashi, the Kazekage and his siblings and their former sensei, Baki, were holding a meeting of sorts in the Kazekage's office.<p>

Gaara sat behind his large desk with a blonde ANBU captain sitting next to him on said desk. The others took chairs in front of it, all listening to what Naruto was saying.

"Thanks to my informant, we know a lot about the two Akatsuki members. I'm sure Kakashi already briefed you on them, but there are more things that weren't in the scroll," her ocean blue eyes regarded the gathered people in front of her. It was a really small group, considering what was about to happen, but Itachi had warned Naruto about possible spies within Sunagakure and she was not willing to take any chances. So only the people Gaara trusted the most were attending this meeting and they also were they only ones, that knew about the coming threat to the village and the Kazegkage.

"We will meet them in the desert outside of Suna, so that the village is not in danger. Fighting them while trying to protect the villagers could cost us our lives," Naruto explained, "we can fight freely in the desert and also don't have to worry about destroying any buildings." A small grin spread over her face, anticipation gleaming in her eyes.

"Shikamaru here," she waved her hand at the pineapple-haired Nara, "came up with a strategy to fight them."

The genius took over, "The informant," they weren't mentioning Itachi's name, because in case anyone heard them, no one must know that the Uchiha Itachi was betraying the Akatsuki, and besides everyone else was still assuming that the Uchiha himself was the traitor, "said that the team work between Sasori and Deidara is rather non-existent. Apparently, Sasori is the stronger one of the two and thus the leader, ordering Deidara around, more or less. As Sasori is a former Sand-nin, we hope to get some more input on his techniques from you," he pointed at Gaara's brother, Kankurou.

One of the reasons they had arrived in Suna already one week before the scheduled attack, was to train with the puppet master and hopefully learn how to counter Sasori's fighting style.

"As Sasori is supposed to be the stronger one, we will concentrate on him first," Shikamaru continued, "So to get Deidara out of the way, one of Naruto's clones will henge into the Kazekage and lure Deidara away from Sasori."

Gaara paused at that. "Why would you use a clone henged into me? Why just don't use the real me?" His teal eyes looked up at Naruto, his non-existent eyebrows raised questioningly.

The girl looked down at him from her position on his desk. "I didn't plan on you fighting, Gaara."

"Why not? You surely don't expect me to just stand by and watch you defend _my_ village, Naruto?" he asked in his gentle voice, a disbelieving tone in his words.

"No, Gaara, but I just don't want you to-"

"-get hurt?" he cut her off, sounding a bit offended. He stood up from the large chair and stood in front of Naruto, putting a hand under her chin to make her look at him. "Naruto, I'm glad that you're concerned about my well-being, but I will not accept this."

Naruto stared into Gaara's deep teal eyes, concern for her best friend showing.

Gaara smirked, "Do you think I'm that weak, Naruto?"

"N-No," she sputtered, not wanting him to think she thought he was not strong enough to fight the Akatsuki, "but you have to take care of the village, so just let us do the fighting."

"Naruto," Gaara said, as if talking to a child, "taking care of my village includes fighting the people that threaten us. As the Kazekage I will protect my village and the people in it. I won't let you do my job, Naruto. And besides, they are coming after me, so I won't hide behind you." He saw her frown and added, "Don't worry about me, Naruto. I'm a Jinchuuriki, too, you know."

Naruto nodded in defeat. She was not happy that Gaara was going to be involved in the fighting, but on the other hand, he was right, and she knew that Gaara was strong. Besides, she couldn't imagine herself to just let others do the fighting for her, either.

Gaara sat back down and addressed the Nara, "I will be the one to lure Deidara away from Sasori and fight him."

"Alone?" Kiba questioned.

"Oi, doggie," Kankurou snapped at the other brunette, "don't underestimate my baby brother!"

"Right," Temari supported him, "he's Kazekage for a reason, you know?"

Gaara suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the childish but supportive display of his older siblings. "I thank you for believing in me, Temari, Kankurou," he said and threw a playful glare at Naruto, who then huffed and mumbled something about never saying she didn't believe in him.

"Deidara is a long-range fighter and so am I," Gaara started again, "and since we'll be fighting in the middle of the desert, I'll have an uncountable amount of sand at my disposal."

"All right," Shikamaru agreed, already adjusting the battle plan in his quick mind, "but I want Temari and Kankurou to go with you." As he felt Gaara's intent gaze on him, he quickly added, "Just in case!"

Temari and Kankurou looked rather pleased about their new role.

"I'll join you, too," Kakashi's deep voice was suddenly heard. He gave them all a cheery eye-smile and Naruto could swear the jounin had been waiting for an opportunity to join the fighting for some time already.

"Fine," Shikamaru said, again adjusting the plan, "So we will have two teams with four people each. This should work even better."

He remained silent for a moment, thinking, and then started explaining where he left off, "According to the informant, Sasori is using a puppet armour he calls Hiruko, which itself can be regarded as a very powerful weapon. So in order to fight him properly, we need to get rid of the armour first."

Shikamaru's eyes scanned the others, trying to see whether they were all following his explanations. Their faces were serious, even Neji's and Gaara's normally passive faces showed thoughtful frowns. Naruto had her arms crossed over her chest, a scowl on her foxy features.

He started again, "The strategy I came up with is very similar to the InoShikaChou-formation, I used with my old team. After we split them up, I will catch Sasori in my Shadow technique, so he won't be able to move. Then Kiba," he pointed at the Inuzuka, "will destroy the puppet armour with his Gatsuga."

This was the first part of their plan. It sounded nice and easy and Shikamaru hoped that it was going to be just that. According to Itachi's information, Sasori was hiding his real body under the outer armour. And apparently, the puppet master had turned his human body into a puppet, as well. While Itachi knew some of the hidden weapons Sasori had put on his own puppet-person, the Uchiha had also said that Sasori made regular adjustments to it. So they did not know for sure what they were going to face once the outer armour had been crushed.

This was going to be the tricky second part. "We don't know what kind of weapons we will be facing, but we can be sure of one thing. They will be absolutely deadly. Sasori likes to drench all his weapons in poison. The informant managed to get the formula of one of his favourite poisons and Tsunade-sama made us an antidote, but we still cannot fully rely on it, since we don't know whether he's still using this exact poison. So we need to stay clear of his weapons as best as we can, just to be on the safe side."

Shikamaru took a deep breath. The brunette wasn't used to talking this much all at once. "Apparently, Sasori stored his heart in a device in his chest. Even if he turned himself into puppet, there needs to be at least some part of him that keeps him living. Our actual goal is to destroy said device. If we manage to destroy it, we will kill him."

"Beware of his famous Red Secret Technique," Kankurou spoke up, "He is known for being able to control an insanely large number of puppets all at once." Respect for the enemy swung in his voice. Kankurou was also a puppeteer, but compared to Sasori, he was still a child.

Itachi had given them an overall idea of the puppet techniques, but since Itachi only knew what his eyes deduced from watching Sasori fight, his information on it was vague. In the two weeks Kakashi had been in Suna, Kankurou had tried to find every piece of information on the former Sand-nin.

"So just to check if I got you right, Nara," Temari looked at the genius, "Once you destroyed Sasori's puppet armour, your plan is mainly just to not get in touch with his poisonous blades and then to simply destroy his heart... Don't you think it will be a lot more difficult than that?" She squinted her eyes suspiciously.

"It does sound rather easy right now," Naruto came to Shikamaru's help, "but as we don't know what's waiting for us under Sasori's armour, we just have to improvise. More or less..."

Naruto didn't like the idea either, but that was just the way it was going to be. And it was not as if Sasori was a completely unknown enemy. They already knew a lot about his techniques and fighting style. And once they had trained with Kankurou, Naruto was sure that they would have at least the advantage of knowing how to counter a puppeteer. The rest was up to their team work and their own ability.

They talked for a while and eventually the topic of Deidara's fighting style came up.

"His Kekkei Genkai is the Explosion Release," Naruto said, "before he joined the Akatsuki and became a missing-nin, he was part of the Explosion Corps of Iwagakure."

"He kneads his chakra into clay with mouths in the palm of his hands, forming sculptures and the likes, which explode," Shikamaru elaborated. "He can set them off from a distance, so he tries to get them into range of the opponent."

Gaara took in the information, although he had read as much already in the scroll that Kakashi had brought with him. It was an advantage for Gaara that he knew he needed to avoid his soon-to-be opponent's clay. But probably that again was easier said than done.

There were a lot of yet unknown variables in their battle plan, but it was the best they could come up with. And even though they didn't know every little detail, they had the advantage that they were taking the fight to the Akatsuki instead of waiting for the two to attack Sunagakure.

Naruto watched the others as they were coming up with a training schedule for the next week. They mustn't exhaust themselves, since they would need all their energy for the actual battle.

The blonde girl's face showed a mixture of fierce determination and sorrow. Gaara was the only one, who noticed her furrowed brow. He nudged his best friend gently into the side and she turned to him, an eyebrow raised in question. The redhead just looked into her ocean blue eyes and finally gave her a small, encouraging smile. Naruto's face softened and even though she didn't manage a real smile, the look in her eyes told Gaara that she appreciated his comforting gesture.

* * *

><p>One week later Team Naruto and Team Gaara, as both had been dubbed for now, were resting up. Later that nigth they would set out. It was likely that the Akatsuki team was planning on attacking Suna in the night or early morning hours, when everyone was sleeping and unsuspecting. So they'd leave in the night and meet the two criminals before they reached the Hidden Village.<p>

They just had diner together in the Kazekage's mansion and everyone had left for their rooms, catching some last sleep.

The only one still up was a blonde ANBU captain, who was currently sitting on the mansion's roof. It was a quiet night and she marvelled at how peaceful everything appeared. None of the villagers was expecting anything. Gaara had managed to raise the security without the people actually taking notice of it.

Her thoughts were on the coming fight. She wouldn't say she was afraid, but she knew that this was going to be her very first big battle. This was going to be the time to prove herself. It would show whether her plan of hunting down the Akatsuki was a good idea or just foolish self-overestimation on her part.

But what she feared the most...

"Mind if I join you, Naruto?" Gaara's gentle voice sounded from the darkness behind her. She had been to engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice him approaching. That must not happen tomorrow.

She patted the place next to her with her hand and the redhead sat down.

"Can't sleep?" she asked, her voice a mere whisper in the cooling desert night.

Gaara shook his head next to her. Both were staring into the night, the sleeping village under them. What would these people do, if they knew that tomorrow their leader might be killed in battle, trying to protect the village he came to love so much?

Gaara laid back down onto the roof and motioned for Naruto to do the same. The sight of the clear desert sky, sparkling with myriads of stars, almost took Naruto's breath away. An ocean of lights, some small, some big.

"What is worrying you?" Gaara asked quietly.

The blonde remained silent for a moment. She was worrying about so much that she didn't even know where to start right now. But what she worried about the most... "My team... and you..."

"Don't worry about us, Naruto. You chose your team well, I saw them in training. All three are very skilled and none of them will disappoint you tomorrow."

"I'm not worried about them disappointing me... I just don't want them to get hurt, you know?" Her eyes were still wandering over the starlit sky.

"Of course I know. But believe me, they are as worried about you, as you are about them. It's only natural, Naru."

"But what if..." she trailed off, not being able to say it out loud.

"What if any of us is killed?" Gaara finished for her, a grave tone in his voice. "We were all aware of the risks when we agreed to this mission. I don't say we are prepared to die, because that would be giving up before actually trying." Gaara turned his head to look at Naruto's profile. Her blue eyes were dark in the night, but illuminated by the stars.

"I know," the girl sighed, "I just wished I could fight them alone, you know? So that none of you is in danger." She ran a weary hand over her eyes and turned to look at her fellow Jinchuuriki.

"Naruto," Gaara smiled, "you still don't seem to get it." He wound his arm under her head and pulled the girl closer to him, her head resting on his shoulder. "You don't have to face this alone, Naruto. As much as I respect your wish to protect us all, there's no longer the need for you to do so."

He spoke into her hair, his breath warm on her skin. "You're not alone any more, Naruto. There are people who are more than willing to help you. You chose your team knowing that you won't be able to face the Akatsuki alone. You just have to start trusting them and start seeing them as what they are. The guys are doing this for you, too."

Gaara squeezed her shoulder in comfort. Naruto lay there, next to her best friend under the starry desert sky, and it felt like once again Gaara had managed to take some of the weight on her shoulders off of her. A grateful smile graced her lips, but the redhead could more feel than see it. His silent presence was so comforting that she didn't even feel her eyelids close. The two Jinchuuriki fell asleep next to each other, both of them feeling a bit more confident about the coming day.

* * *

><p>A smiling Temari and a smirking Shikamaru found the two sleeping demon-containers a few hours later. They were ready to leave and the only ones still missing were Naruto and Gaara.<p>

"Aren't they sweet together?" Temari grinned, although she knew that there was nothing more than friendship between the two teenagers.

Shikamaru shrugged and Temari gently shook the two awake.

Naruto yawned and they both got up, stretching. She felt a little stiff from falling asleep on the roof, but on the other hand, she had slept so well that she felt rested and ready to go.

"Get changed and meet us downstairs," Temari said bossily.

The two younger teens nodded and did as the were told.

Naruto shared a room with Temari during their stay and as the older blonde had already changed, Naruto was alone. She changed into her ANBU uniform. This was supposed to be an ANBU mission after all. She fastened the grey armour around her torso and put on the metal arm guards. Her hands were protected by fingerless black gloves with a metal plate on the back of the hand. Her standard black leather pants fit like a second skin. She brushed her hair and gathered it in a neat bun; the long hair would only hinder her when fighting and besides, she didn't want to give her enemies the opportunity to grab it.

She took the Konoha Hitai-ate from her pouch and tied it tightly around her head. The long ends of the cloth fell freely down her back. Almost finished, she grabbed her katana and the ANBU Weasel mask.

She was good to go.

* * *

><p>A small group of shinobi was gathering at the huge gates of Sunagakure in the middle of the night. The only people still awake were the guards and the members of said group. Gaara gave the last introductions to Baki, who was in charge until his return.<p>

The eight people walked through the huge walls of the sandy gate and left the fortifications of the village. The desert air was cold in the night and all of them were grateful for the cloaks, which were both meant to keep them warm as well as to hide their identities.

The smallest of the black-clad figures stopped walking when they were some distance away from Suna. The others turned to her.

She pushed back her hood for the others to see her face. She had yet to put on her mask. Her ocean blue eyes focused for a moment on Kankurou, Temari and lastly Kakashi. She didn't need to say anything. Everything had been said already and everyone knew what their were getting into.

Naruto inclined her head at the three and gave everyone a feral grin.

"Let's roll, guys!"

Kankurou, Temari and Kakashi left the other five, jumping away into the direction of the previously appointed rendezvous point. Once Gaara had managed to get Deidara to chase after him, he would meet the others far away from both the village and Sasori, for that neither would interfere with the battle against the explosion expert.

Naruto put on her mask and pulled the hood back over her hair and face. At her command the others followed her, running straight into the desert, towards the enemy.

* * *

><p>They had been running for nearly an hour, when Naruto stopped. It was the sign for the others to stop as well and they gathered next to her.<p>

"Neji," was all she needed to say for the Hyuuga to begin scanning their surroundings with his Byakugan.

"Two people in black cloaks with red clouds. Target in sight. Approximately two miles away," he stated matter-of-factly.

"All right, we're going to wait here for them," Naruto decided, "keep hiding your chakra completely," she reminded the others, but they were all doing so anyway.

"Let them come to us," the blonde captain grinned evilly under her mask, "It's show time."

* * *

><p><em>(1) Gatsuga: Fang Passing Fang: <em>_The user and his partner spin at a ferocious speed and deliver many powerful beast-like attacks when contact is made with the target. The force of this attack is strong enough to drill through stone. This attack can be done alone._

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading!<strong>

**This chapter is like the introduction to the actual battle. I already started with the fighting scenes, but I'm really having some difficulties with those... I hope they're going to turn out okay... But please be patient with me, I won't release the next chapter until I am satisfied with what I wrote!**

**Also, before I release the next chapter, I will change the Rating from T to M, because there's going to be some swearing and I'll just change it to M to be on the safe side! Just so you know and won't be confused.  
><strong>

**Tell me how you liked the chapter and I'd love to hear some advice on how to write good fighting scenes!**

**xXHaneliXx**_  
><em>


	12. Chapter 12

_**The author says:**_ Hello guys and welcome to the longest chapter so far.

First of all I need to thank all of you amazing people, who helped me with this! I always read every single review, and this time I actually read some of them several times, because I tried to take all the advise on how to write fight scenes to heart! Thanks so much for that and sorry to the reviewers I didn't thank personally.

I really hope this turned out okay. I'm not a hundred percent sure about this and I really had to force myself to finish this. It was annoying to write, as I had to look up all the Jutsus. I also noticed that my vocabulary on things such as fighting or describing things like Sasori's hidden weapons, was quite limited. I still have the feeling I'm using the same words over and over again in this chapter, but I tried my best with this.

Please leave me your opinion on it, even if you say it totally sucked, at least I'll know what my readers think. I really don't want to disappoint, but I hope you have fun reading!

Oh and also note that I changed the rating from T to M. For this chapter and of course for things to come.

**I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><strong>'He had no idea'<strong>

**Chapter 12**

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><p><em><strong>I've never been afraid of the highest heights<br>Or afraid of flying now  
>I've never been afraid of the wildest fights<br>Not afraid of dying**_

_**But now I want off this ride 'cause you're scaring me and I don't like where we're going**_

**- 'Changed The Way You Kissed Me' by Example**

* * *

><p><em>They had been running for nearly an hour, when Naruto stopped. It was the sign for the others to stop as well and they came to stand next to her.<em>

_"Neji," was all she needed to say for the Hyuuga to begin scanning their surroundings with his Byakugan._

_"Two people in black cloaks with red clouds. Target in sight. Approximately two miles away," he stated matter-of-factly._

_"All right, we're going to wait here for them," Naruto decided, "keep hiding your chakra completely," she reminded the others, but they were all doing so anyway._

_"Let them come to us," the blonde captain grinned evilly under her mask, "It's show time."_

The guys around her shifted slightly. Shikamaru and Gaara, whose eyes were not as sharp as the others', tried to make out the approaching criminals in the darkness.

Naruto turned to her left, where Gaara was standing. She stepped closer to him and pushed the Weasel mask onto her head.

Her ocean blue eyes locked with Gaara's teal ones. Her face was serious and the scowl on it seemed to have become permanent over the last week.

Gaara returned her intent gaze. He nodded. They didn't need to say anything. They understood each other without words.

_Be careful._

_Don't you dare get killed._

_Come back alive. Back to me._

Naruto gave him a curt nod and she returned Gaara's blossoming smirk with her evil grin. The mask back over her face, she faced the dark desert again.

What had been a beautiful starlit sky only hours before, now felt like a myriad of eyes watching them; waiting for the outcome of the mission.

It felt like an eternity until the two cloaked criminals finally came fully into view. One was hunched over and appeared to be crawling – _Sasori._ The taller one had blonde hair, that was up in a rather girly pony tail that somehow reminded Naruto of Ino. This one was Deidara.

* * *

><p>Deidara was not in a good mood. Actually, he was pissed. His master – Sasori-sama – was getting on his nerves. Even if their argument about whose art was the <em>real art<em>, was years old by now, the two never ended it. There was just no way for them to find an answer that pleased both of them. Art was an explosion after all!

And now Sasori was even questioning Deidara's abilities. Or rather, he was questioning whether Deidara was prepared for the fight against the Ichibi's Jinchuuriki. Of course he was. Deidara might be young, but he was no idiot. He was strong and was absolutely convinced of his explosive bombs and sure that the Kazekage would be overpowered by his display of booming art.

Deidara was certain that the one pouch of clay he had brought with him on this mission was more than enough to defeat the Kazekage. They had information on him and apparently the boy – as Deidara refused to acknowledge the sixteen-year-old as a man yet – was not very skilled in close combat. Not that it mattered anyway, as Deidara was a long-range fighter, and he didn't intend on letting Gaara get behind his explosive defence.

Also, the Kazekage was devoted to his village and word was he would rather die than let harm come to his people. That was one of their major advantages. When they surprised Sunagakure in the middle of the night, no one would be ready to fight back and the Kazekage would have to be painfully careful to keep his village safe, while defending himself.

They were approximately an hour away from Sunagakure and Deidara's anticipation increased. He would show his stupid puppet-loving master how to properly defeat a Jinchuuriki. This would finally end their stupid debate about the true nature of art. And it would improve Deidara's reputation and Leader-sama was going to be very pleased with him.

"Do you see that?" Sasori's hoarse, growling voice interrupted his thoughts.

"See what, un?" Deidara asked unintelligently, turning his head wildly, making the bells on his straw-hat jingle.

"In front of us, Deidara."

The blond squinted his eyes, trying to make out what Sasori was talking about. He put two fingers on his left temple, activating his binocular and zoomed in. Then he saw it. Or rather them. He counted five people standing in the middle of the desert, facing them.

"Are they waiting for us, Sasori-sama?" he asked, uncertain.

"I don't let people wait, Deidara. And no, they are not here on my orders."

Deidara rolled his eyes under the shelter of his straw-hat. His master had some weird time issues. "So who are they, un?"

"I wouldn't be asking you, if I knew," Sasori growled, impatience thick in his voice, "Let's find out. Either they're masking their chakra completely or they are civilians. Which I highly doubt, though."

They slowly got closer to the small group of cloaked people. Sasori's stupid puppet armour was really slowly, it annoyed Deidara every time they went on a mission together.

The two S-class missing-nin stopped several feet away from the group.

"Let me do the talki –" Sasori started, but was cut off by his young and impulsive partner.

"Who are you, un? And what are you doing in the middle of the desert in the middle of the night?" the blond called out to the people.

One of them stepped forward. It was the person on the very left.

"I could ask you the same," a gentle but strong voice answered, "You are trespassing on _my _desert after all."

"So this is _your_ desert, un?" Deidara mocked, but then it clicked. "Hey, are you the Kazekage?"

Sasori suppressed the urge to slash Deidara with his steal scorpion tail.

Gaara pushed the hood of his dark cloak over his head and revealed his vibrant red hair, the teal eyes and the tattoo with the kanji for 'love' on his forehead.

Deidara took in the appearance of the Jinchuuriki they were supposed to kidnap. What was he doing here, awaiting them?

"What are you doing here, un? You're supposed to be in Suna," the blond Akatsuki-member called, voicing his confusion.

Again, Sasori next to him was tempted to just chop the young man's head off.

"And you're not supposed to attack my village," Gaara said calmly but decisively, "You are after me, so leave my people out of it."

Gaara threw off his cloak and revealed the large gourd tied to his back. His muscles tensed as he got ready to take off. So far, everything was going according to plan. They had not been attacked and apparently Deidara was even more immature than Itachi had let on.

A cocky smirk appeared on Gaara's normally neutral face and he focused on Deidara. "Catch me!" he whispered teasingly, "If you can!"

Without needing to use any hand seals, his sand began pouring out of his gourd and a dense platform of sorts formed in front of him, hovering a feet over the sandy ground _(1)_. He jumped on it and the sand platform hovered higher. At an unspoken command, it started moving and Gaara raced off into the darkness of the desert.

"Oi, wait, will you, un!" Deidara loudly complained. He threw a tiny bird clay sculpture on the sand to his feet and with a single-handed hand seal, the bird grew in size, now several feet taller than Deidara himself. The blond jumped on its back and made to take off.

"Deidara, wait this is –" but once again Sasori's growling voice was cut off by Deidara.

"Don't worry, Sasori-sama, it's my job to catch him. Just wait, it won't take long!" Deidara's clay bird spread his wings and the two were gone.

" – a trap," Sasori finished lamely, his warning going unheard by his young partner.

Being alone now, Sasori faced the other four cloaked figures. They had not said anything so far and as their chakra was still hidden, he could not estimate how strong these people were. But the fact that they were able to completely hide their chakra signature from him, was already a feat.

* * *

><p>The blonde captain watched Gaara and Deidara's departure through the holes of her ANBU mask. Everything was going according to plan and she was actually surprised that luring Deidara away had been so easy. <em>Child's play.<em>

But now she needed to concentrate on the hunched figure in front of her. He wasn't speaking, probably trying to comprehend what was happening.

Naruto's fingers moved mere millimetres, but it was sign enough for Shikamaru to start his jutsu.

The Nara formed the rat hand seal and his shadow raced towards the still staring and unsuspecting Sasori. The combination of darkness and the speed in which Shikamaru's shadow closed in on the man, made it impossible for his bulky puppet to react.

"_Kagemane no Jutsu_ _(2)_ successful," Shikamaru whispered, voice laced with satisfaction.

This was the sign for Kiba to attack. He and Akamaru jumped towards the immobilized Sasori. "_Gastuuga!_" _(3)_ Kiba shouted and both began spinning at an incredible speed.

Naruto and Neji watched, both holding their breath. Was this going to work?

Kiba and Akamaru darted forward and hit the puppet armour from both sides. There was a millisecond of resistance, but the armour soon gave in.

It burst apart. The puppet armour Hiruko was destroyed.

Second part of the plan – _accomplished._

Kiba and Akamaru landed back next to the others.

Shikamaru's Shadow Binding Technique broke and the team saw a figure jump away from the remnants of the puppet.

The figure stood still, some feet away, now obviously alarmed. Neji and Naruto shared a look. They were about to attack, when a surprisingly high voice sounded from where Sasori now stood.

A mirthless chuckle sounded through the darkness. "I see, you people don't waste time, I like that."

Naruto watched Sasori as his head came up and his face was revealed in the pale moonlight. His hair colour was almost the same as Gaara's. His face was young and actually beautiful, but Naruto wasn't fooled. She knew that this was only a human puppet. The man Sasori himself was already older. And experienced, she mustn't forget that.

"You destroyed my armour surprisingly fast. It appears you know about my secret techniques," the redhead said, his voice no longer hoarse and growling. "And you separated me and my partner, knowing that we are after the Kazekage. It makes me wonder, who I am facing. Who are you and where did you get all the information from?"

Sasori's body was hidden behind his black and red Akatsuki cloak. Naruto watched him closely, looking for the smallest sign of an attack.

In a perfectly synchronized motion, all four Leaf-nin shed their cloaks, revealing their masked faces.

"ANBU," Sasori whispered to himself. He regarded them in the darkness. Three obviously male shinobi. The fourth person's hair was still hidden under a hood, but this one was evidently smaller than the others and something told him the last person was a female. And judging by the way she held herself, she was the captain of the team. But their masks were not those of the Sunagakure ANBU. He searched his memories and finally decided on them to be from Konoha. _Interesting._

"Why do I fight Konoha ANBU when I mean to attack the Village of Sand?" he asked, his voice not betraying his curiosity.

The figure he had deduced to be female started walking towards him. The puppet master watched her closely. He still didn't feel any chakra coming from her. By now he was sure that it meant she was strong. Why else hide your signature this long?

"Akasuna no Sasori," a female voice spoke up. It was actually pleasant, but the cold tone in it told another story. "You made a mistake coming here tonight."

So they even knew his name. They were obviously well-informed. Intrigued, Sasori played the game, "Oh, why is that?"

Had his puppet body needed to breathe, he probably would have gasped from the sudden killing intent that was rolling over him like a tsunami. He had never felt anything like it before. His former Akatsuki partner, Orochimaru, had one fierce killing intent, but compared to this, it was a mere tickle. _Who is this person?_

"Because," the female voice said – there was a feeling to it now, that made the criminal wonder how he could ever have called this voice pleasant – "tonight is the night you will die."

"Have the courtesy to tell me your name, if you intend to kill me," Sasori demanded.

As if she had waited for the invitation, Naruto pulled the hood off her head and pushed the mask up enough for him to see her face.

Sasori recognized those features immediately. They had pictures of all the Jinchuurikis. But what was the Nine-Tail's container doing here? Weren't Itachi and Kisame supposed to be hunting the girl?

"Uzumaki Naruto," Sasori stated, "it seems that _I_ am the lucky one tonight. Leader-sama will be pleased, if we return with two Jinchuuriki."

Naruto covered her face with her mask again. The time for exchanging words was over. She had meant it when she said she was going to kill Sasori tonight.

Slowly, she freed her katana from the sheath on her back. The blade reflected the pale moonlight. For her, Kiba and Neji it didn't matter that they were fighting in darkness. They had exceptionally good eyes and none of them was hindered by the lack of actual light. The only one who had no enhanced eyesight was Shikamaru, but neither had Sasori.

Neji walked up to Naruto. His Byakugan saw through the cloak of the puppeteer. "The device with his heart is in his chest, slightly to the left, where the heart usually is, taichou," he informed his captain and also confirmed Itachi's information.

Naruto nodded. She was going to give it a first shot. They didn't know what kind of tricks Sasori had up his sleeves. So just charging him, luring him out, was the current plan of action.

Naruto gripped her katana with both hands, holding it up in front of her almost vertically. Swinging the sword over her head, she charged her opponent.

* * *

><p>Gaara threw a look over his shoulder. <em>Perfect.<em> Deidara was really following him. Hadn't this trap been kind of too obvious? However, it worked, and that was all that counted at the moment.

Gaara flew through the desert on his sand. The darkness sped by him in a blur. He was still some distance away from the rendezvous point, but it didn't matter. His task right now was just luring Deidara away from his partner and the village. The fighting would start once they'd arrived.

Deidara saw the Jinchuuriki flying several feet in front of him. His clay bird was heavier than the Kazekage's sand and he didn't manage to catch up to him. Yet.

Deidara briefly wondered about how easy it had been to convince Sasori to let him fight the Jinchuuriki alone. Their plan had been to attack the village, but whatever. Plans change, right? As long as Deidara was able to prove himself, it was fine with him. Besides, there were still those other four shady people. So Sasori probably wouldn't be bored until his return.

He just needed to make this quick. He already heard his master's bitching about his tardiness. He sighed and fuelled more chakra into his bird. Better to get this over with quickly.

* * *

><p>Naruto swung her katana down at Sasori's head. A 'clang' sounded through the silence of the desert night.<p>

Sasori had managed to attach his chakra strings to the metal tail of his Hiruko puppet. It was blocking Naruto's blade just in front of his body.

Naruto jumped back. Reflexively, she blocked an attack from the tail. She saw and even smelled the purple poison dripping from the weapon. She mustn't let it touch her.

Defending herself from the moving tail, she was pushed back. This was not going to work.

She channelled wind chakra into her katana and the blade began glowing, blueish. The tail aimed for her arm, she dodged it, whirled around and brought her sword down on the tail.

The wind chakra enhanced blade cut through the tail like a hot knife through butter. Naruto continued and chopped off piece after piece of the annoying weapon.

While his captain was taking care of the tail, Shikamaru was trying to once again catch Sasori in one of his shadow techniques. But this time, the shinobi knew what the shadow creeping towards him meant.

Sasori jumped back, evading the shadow on the floor. Forgotten was the tail, it was useless now anyway.

Shikamaru smirked.

Sasori's puppet eyes widened in surprise as he felt someone coming up behind him.

His Byakugan activated, Neji easily saw that the chakra system of Sasori's puppet body was not like the human chakra system. Instead of having tenketsu points, the main amount of Sasori's chakra was gathered in the device within his heart. There weren't many places for Neji's Tirgrams Palm to hit.

Making his decision, Neji directly aimed for the device in Sasori's chest. Maybe he could end this with just one blow.

But before his outstretched fingers could connect with the human puppet, he heard a clicking sound and a mechanism on Sasori's back opened under his cloak. The Akatsuki robe was torn apart as two metal poles extended from his hips. They ended in several curved blades, which began rotating like propellers.

Neji could stop his attack in the last moment. He staggered back, losing his balance from the sudden change of direction.

The mere millisecond of unsure footing was enough for one of the sharp blades of the propellers to slice his retreating hand. The Hyuuga hissed, more from surprise than from actual pain.

Naruto clapped her hands twice. It was the sign for the others to retreat to her. She had seen how Neji's normally controlled face contorted in surprise. He must've been hit.

The team gathered around her, bringing several feet of sand between themselves and the opponent.

Neji was already opening his medical pouch with his uninjured hand and searching for the syringe with the antidote.

Naruto was keeping an eye on both her team mate and the opponent. This was a good opportunity for the criminal to strike back.

Neji found the syringe and handed it to Shikamaru. The Nara pulled off the safety cap and pushed the needle into Neji's deltoid muscle.

There was a moment of tense silence when they all thought the same thing. _Let it be the right antidote._

* * *

><p>Gaara's eyes scanned the dark desert. In one hour the sun would begin to rise. Until then, they'd fight in darkness.<p>

The little rock formation, that was their meeting point, came into view and Gaara slowed down. He felt Deidara's chakra signature closing in behind him. The blond had actually chased him through half of the desert.

As he approached the rocks, he searched for his siblings' and Kakashi's chakra. They were not hiding it, but keeping it low. They were there, waiting for him.

But he had told them not to interfere until it looked like he was really losing. Not that he intended to go there.

Gaara stopped, hovering in the air, carried by his sand. He began infusing the surrounding desert sand with his chakra. It would make it easier later, if he needed to make use of it. While the sand in his gourd was mixed with his chakra the whole time, he could also command sand that was not in his gourd, but it afforded more chakra.

Deidara saw his prey stop. Smirking, he closed in; one hand in his clay pouch, the mouth on it already chewing the clay and infusing it with his chakra.

"So you're finally tired of running away from me, un?" the blond called out, trying to get his opponent riled up. But his teasing went unnoticed by Gaara. It took a lot more for him to get really angry and emotional.

"It took you long enough to catch up to me," Gaara stated in his neutral voice.

"Tche, I don't think I like the way you're looking down on me, un," Deidara said, squinting his eyes at Gaara, "But I will get some emotion on that pretty face of yours." He pulled his hand out from under his cloak and threw what looked like three clay pigeons into the air. "And it will be pain!" he declared and a maniacal grin split his face.

Gaara tensed, he knew these were the explosives Itachi had warned them about.

He saw Deidara make a single-handed seal. The pigeons raced towards him.

"Katsu!" Deidara shouted and immediately, the three clay sculptures exploded.

Gaara's Ultimate Defence came up as a sandy wall around him. He had gambled, trying to find out whether Deidara's attacks were faster than his automatic defence. They weren't.

Sand broke away from the spot where the explosions had hit the defence, but nothing had gotten through. The impact was swallowed by his sand.

Satisfied, Gaara raised his arms. He needed neither hand seals nor actual contact with his sand to control it.

Mesmerized by the display of Gaara's arm-waving, Deidara was almost too late to dodge the sand bullets that came flying at him _(4)_. He manoeuvred his bird to evade most of them, but still some managed to shoot through the bird's wings, causing it to lurch about in the sky.

Deidara cursed loudly. This boy was starting to piss him off.

Flying higher into the air to get away from the bullets, Deidara prepared his next attack.

"I'm going to show you my C1 bombs _(5), _un," a number of small insect-like creatures crawled out of his left palm. He took aim and threw the clay insect at his opponent.

This time, Gaara was prepared for the bombs. He waited for them and as he saw Deidara form the tiger hand seal, his defence came up.

Deidara allowed himself a victorious grin, as the sand wall fell away to reveal the still body of the Kazekage. Obviously, his explosives had been too much for the sand shield. Manoeuvring his bird closer to the unconscious boy, his sole attention was on what happened in front of him.

He didn't see the huge wall of desert sand coming up behind him; so huge, that it was casting a shadow over Deidara's form even in the dark, moonlit night. It rose from the ground, almost soundlessly starting to grab for the blond missing-nin.

Gaara stretched his arms higher over his head, ordering his sand to close in on his opponent.

The seemingly unconscious body of the Jinchuuriki melted away; it had only been a Sand Clone. Finally sensing the danger looming above and behind him, Deidara looked up, his eyes widened in shock, as he had less than a second to take in the terrifying sight of Gaara's attack.

Gaara's hand clenched, "_Sabaku Rou (Desert Prison)." (6)_

The sand swallowed Deidara together with his clay bird. A large sphere built itself around the caught blond. With another flick of Gaara's hand, the sand prison tightened.

Gaara's teal eyes watched the cloud of sand hanging in the air over him. He was sure that this was not enough to kill Deidara, but it would leave him definitely injured and weakened.

Gaara prepared for his next move, when suddenly the night sky lit up in a blinding explosion.

* * *

><p>Still keeping an eye on Sasori, Naruto's heart was beating frantically against her ribcage. If this was not the right antidote, Neji would be dead within three minutes. And he was their only medic nin. Would she make it to Suna in only three minutes? It had taken them one hour to get here, they were truly in the middle of nowhere. There was not much hope, if...<p>

"Guys, three minutes are over," Kiba said hesitantly, not sure whether the danger of the poison had truly passed.

Neji looked up at his team mates from his sitting position on the sand. He moved his arms, clenched his fists, waggled his toes. "I think I'm fine," he said. More certain, he added, "Everything feels normal, the antidote's working."

Naruto briefly glanced at him, assuring herself of his well-being. She let out a small sigh of relief.

But she regretted it the moment her eyes were back on Sasori.

The criminal looked at them; a creepy smile on his young puppet face. "I see you even know the formula for the antidote to my favourite poison," he said, his voice still void of any emotion, "I guess this means we have a traitor in our midst."

Naruto followed the movement of the man's hands. A scroll dropped out of his cloak and into his open hand.

"Who is it, I wonder," the criminal mused, "Is it an active member? Or maybe you met up with my old partner Orochimaru?"

He raised his arm, holding the scroll in front of him.

"But last I heard, poor Orochimaru was killed by his ambitious student," he said, still in his eerie, emotionless voice.

Naruto's lips curled up in an involuntary snarl. She just couldn't stand hearing the Snake Sannin's name. And the man better stopped talking about Sasuke.

"So the traitor must still be an active member." Sasori unrolled the scroll. "I wonder, who it is. Maybe you will tell me after I defeat you all. And make you part of my human puppet collection."

Naruto's demonic eyes easily made out what was written on the scroll. It was a seal, the number 'three' under it.

"This one is my favourite," Sasori explained to the staring ANBU team, "I will show you real puppetry now."

The scroll glowed, as he channelled his chakra into it. As the seal was released, smoke obscured their view on the criminal.

Naruto squinted her eyes. What was going on? She had given her opponent too much time to prepare an attack, while Neji had recovered from the poisoning. She had hoped they could defeat Sasori before he could make use of his puppet techniques. But that had obviously been wishful thinking. They were facing an S-class criminal after all.

The smoke cleared and revealed a dark-clad puppet, hovering in the air in front of the redhead. Naruto saw the faint glow of the chakra threads, that connected Sasori's fingertips and the puppet.

"From your lack of reaction, I assume that you have no idea, whom you are facing," Sasori stated, taking in the blank stares of Naruto's team.

Naruto began to wonder whether she should know this person – or rather puppet. Sasori's words indicated that this was another of his infamous human puppets. Whoever it was, she didn't know him and after seeing her team mates' clueless faces, she was sure that they didn't know him either.

"I don't care who your little friend is," Naruto called out, her muscles tensing, "but you better say good-bye to your favourite plaything."

An eerie chuckle filled the distance between them. "Your ignorance is almost sweet, girl. But please let me tell you who this is. You have the honour of facing the Third Kazekage."

Shikamaru's eyebrows shot up. Leaning over to his captain, he spoke quietly, "The Third Kazekage is supposed to be the strongest of all the previous Kazekage. He disappeared without a trace and his body was never found. I think he used some kind of sand technique, similar to Gaara's."

Naruto didn't take her eyes off the new threat while listening to Shikamaru's input. Apparently, Itachi had not known about this or otherwise he'd have told her about it. Naruto shrugged, "It really doesn't matter who this puppet is or was, all I care about is eliminating it so we can kill Sasori and get this over with!"

The blonde captain turned slightly to her team mates. "Neji," she began giving orders, "you stay with me. Shikamaru, Kiba, you will try to attack Sasori's body directly, while Neji and I distract him."

Three nods where her answer and Kiba and Shikamaru scattered away. Naruto locked eyes with Neji. "Let's do this," she said, determined, and an excited smirk crept back on her lips.

"Taichou," Neji smirked back at her, liking her attitude.

Her katana still in hand, Naruto raised it in front of her and dashed towards the puppet.

Sasori spread his arms wide, fingers moving in the air. The puppet shot forwards accordingly, speeding towards the advancing Jinchuuriki.

Naruto's blade came down. At a flick of Sasori's finger, the puppet's left arms spread, a set of curved blades dripping with poison blocked the blonde's sword. Naruto was pushed back from the force of the retractable blades, just barely avoiding the sharp weapons.

Her heels dug into the sandy ground as she came to a stop next to Neji. Their eyes were on the puppet, as it lifted its other arm. With popping joints the wooden arm split in the middle, several compartments opening. Summoning seals were attached on the inside of each. A short blue glow indicated the activation of the hidden technique.

Hundreds of puppet arms escaped the seals, growing, lengthening, shooting at Neji and Naruto; wooden hands grabbing to catch them.

Both easily avoided the attack, splitting up. The arms crashed into the sand, wood breaking and becoming useless.

Sasori smirked. A pipe opened from one of the arms, emitting a cloud of purple poisonous gas.

Seeing the cloud of poison spreading, Naruto stabbed her katana into the sand in front of her. With her now free hands she went through well-practised hand seals. "_Futon: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)," (7) _she yelled, inhaling deeply, and a gust of wind escaped her mouth. Its force blew away the poison and with it the danger.

"I'm not done yet," Sasori announced, the smallest hint of annoyance in his voice now. The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and her team were not as easy to defeat as he had first assumed. But like he had said, he was most certainly not done yet.

His puppet moved, detaching the now useless arm. The Third Kazekage opened his mouth, releasing a dark powder into the air.

"This is the Sand Village's most feared weapon," Sasori explained to the four unknowing shinobi, "The Sandaime Kazekage's Iron Sand."

Unfazed, Naruto stared back at the redhead. _Iron Sand, _she mused, _the difference between normal sand and this one can't be too big. _And she had fought Gaara so many times by now, that she knew very well how to counter his attacks. This was something she actually knew how to fight against.

"Neji," she whispered to the brunette, glad they were out of Sasori's hearing range, "I'll fight him and you wait for an opening to destroy the Kazekage's puppet body."

Neji gave a curt nod and left her alone. He landed several feet away, in a safe distance of her attacking range. With his Byakugan activated, he easily saw the chakra threads running from Sasori's fingertips to the Kazekage's limbs. There was a compartment filled with chakra in the human puppet's chest, similar to Sasori's own body. It was the chakra source of the Third Kazekage. But in order to fully disable the puppet, Neji needed to completely destroy it.

His pale eyes watched as bullets made of Iron Sand came flying at Naruto. The girl dodged them expertly. _As if she is used to this kind of attack,_ Neji mused.

A plan formed in his mind and Neji got into position. Naruto was now running in a zig-zag, avoiding huge squared stones made of Iron Sand. The brunette watched, a bit anxious, but he soon realized that there was no reason for him to worry about his captain. The blonde girl was too quick, winding her way through the dangerous and sharp projectiles like she had done this a hundred times before.

His pale eyes were back on the human puppet. A quick glance in the direction of Sasori showed him that the puppet master had his eyes on Naruto. Channelling chakra to his feet, Neji started running towards the Third Kazekage. His hand went to his pocket, taking out a small stack of white papers. He dashed forwards as fast as possible.

Sasori must have seen him, since one of the Iron Sand formations started disintegrating in mid-air. With his nearly 360 degree vision, Neji saw the Iron Sand gather itself again, once more forming those annoying bullets. And just a second later they came flying at him. The Hyuuga spun into his _Hakkesho Kaiten (Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven) (8)_, effectively deflecting all of the attacking objects.

In two big leaps Neji crossed the distance between himself and the Kazekage's puppet. His palms shot out as he called, _"Hakke Rokujuuyon Shou (Eight Trigrams Sixty-four Palms)!" (9)_

With the incredible speed of the Hyuuga's precise Taijutsu, the puppet was lifted into the air, cracking noises were heard as the wood slowly gave way. Neji finished his attack and made a back-flip, bringing as much distance as possible between him and the puppet now.

The brunette took in how Naruto tensed and retreated. She had probably seen the white papers sticking to the puppet's body. There was a simple seal on each paper, one which they taught you in the Academy already. Neji allowed himself a victorious smirk and whispered, "_Boom_!"

The exploding tags he had attached to the puppet detonated. A huge ball of fire shot into the night sky, illuminating the darkness. The force easily destroyed the puppet and the flames were eating the last remaining pieces of wood.

Neji felt Naruto land next to him. She clapped him on the back and flashed him a foxy grin, "Neat!"

* * *

><p>Gaara watched as his sand coffin exploded. Deidara's clay bird must have detonated. As the smoke cleared, he heard the panting of his opponent. The blond emerged from a pile of sand, staggering. His cloak was burnt in several places and he was bleeding from a wound on his head.<p>

Gaara didn't let Deidara much time, as the sand around the Akatsuki member rose again, this time binding him in place.

Deidara glared at the Jinchuuriki, who was still hovering above him in the air. The blond wiggled and growled, trying to free his arms from the sand. He couldn't use the mouth in his hands to build new bombs when his arms were caught in the sand.

Cursing his opponent loudly, Deidara somehow managed to get one of his arms free. The mouth was already chewing, ready to spit out one of his bombs.

In the air, Gaara quickly moved his hands, ordering his sand to wrap itself around Deidara's body. But the former Iwa-nin was already pulling his second arm free of Gaara's sand prison. The redhead swiftly closed his fist. "_Sabaku Sousou (Desert Funeral)!" (10)_

A cry of pain was answer enough for Gaara to know that he had injured his opponent. The blond now fully wiggled free of the sand holding him, and leaped away. He was clutching his right arm, red blood was running through his fingers.

"You little shit, you severed my arm!" Deidara yelled, pain and shock more than obvious in his voice.

Gaara's face remained neutral at the insult.

Deidara's remaining arm moved away from the wound. He opened his palm just as the mouth in it spit out what could only be described as a bird with its wings folded in front of his body.

"I see you want to play, un," Deidara spat, "Then meet my C3 bomb. It's my most powerful large scale bomb." _(11)_

With his sole left arm, he threw the bomb into the air.

"Let's see if your sand can protect you against _this_!"

* * *

><p>In their hiding place behind the small rock formation, Temari and Kankurou were holding their breath, while Kakashi was holding back the siblings at the back of their cloaks, trying to stop them from dashing out and helping Gaara.<p>

The Kazekage had given them strict orders. They were not to interfere until it looked like Gaara was either truly losing or until Gaara gave them a sign. Neither had happened so far, so Kakashi would not let the two hot-heads run into the fight, especially not as Gaara had just cut off one of Deidara's arms.

"Calm down," he growled lowly, while keeping both his mismatched eyes on the battle in front of him.

They were a safe distance away from the action, but his uncovered Sharingan was seeing nicely in the darkness. By now the sun was slowly creeping over the horizon, a small strip of light hanging over the desert.

Kakashi couldn't say for sure how long the battle was already going, but he assumed it must be close to two hours already.

The three followed Gaara with their eyes, as the Jinchuuriki spread his arms. At his gesture, the sand under him began to rise. More and more rose, faster and faster.

They didn't hear Deidara call out the command to activate his bomb, but they saw how the bird-like clay figure increased in proportions, growing as tall as a man.

Then it dropped. On Gaara.

* * *

><p>Naruto stood next to Neji, waiting for the smoke of the explosion to clear.<p>

She looked around, searching for her other two team mates. She hadn't been able to pay much attention to them while fighting Sasori, but she hoped that Shikamaru was doing his best of coming up with a plan to finally finish this. She didn't know how long this fight already lasted, but she really wanted to get this over with.

An eerie chuckle caught her attention. The smoke had cleared and revealed the form of Sasori. The man slash puppet had his eyes wide opened, a crazy look on his face.

"You defeated this one quite easily, too, I must admit," his voice broke the silence. "But now I have no more reason to hold back. I will show you, what a real puppet master is, girl!"

His hands moved over his cloak, unbuttoning it. He yanked it off, exposing his puppet body to his opponents. Naruto's eyes widened slightly, seeing the chakra storage device in his chest. This little thing was what kept him alive. They only needed to destroy it. But it was already within their reach.

She also recognized the coiled cable in his stomach Itachi had told them about. They also knew of the scroll holder on his back, which contained his most feared weapon; his puppet army. Other than that, they didn't know what kind of weapons he was still hiding and waiting to use.

"I haven't used myself for some time, you may feel honoured," Sasori said with the manic expression on his puppet face. He reached behind his back, removing one of the scrolls from the container.

"But I see the time has come to use my most feared technique," he chuckled eerily, his eyes widening even further. "Four against one is a bit unfair, don't you think? Let's see..." he trailed off and unrolled the summoning scroll with one fluid motion. Next, he reached for his chest and opened a compartment where his right lung was supposed to be.

Even Naruto saw the bluish glow of chakra, although she didn't have the Byakugan like Neji. They saw more than a hundred chakra strings emit from Sasori's chest, attaching themselves to the red shadows that had begun emerging from the scroll only seconds before.

Soon the brightening desert sky was filled with exactly one hundred red-clad puppets looming above Naruto and her team mates.

"Let's see how you will do four against one hundred!" Sasori laughed creepily.

Naruto leaned over to Neji. "I'll take this. Go find Shikamaru and Kiba and finally kill this fucking lunatic!"

Neji knew better than to ask her if she was sure that she wanted to face this feared technique alone. Instead he squeezed her shoulder and murmured a, "Have fun!" before he left her alone yet again.

Naruto turned to her opponent – or rather her new one hundred and one opponents. She placed her hands on her hips and gave Sasori a cocky smirk. She had no reason to be afraid of his attack. Training with Kankurou had taught her a lot about puppetry. While it was not that easy to defeat a single well-controlled puppet, it became easier, the more puppets were used.

Because Uzumaki Naruto controlled her own army.

"So this is your most feared technique? The Red Puppet Technique?" she called, sounding way too confident and unimpressed for Sasori's liking.

"Are you sure about facing me alone, little girl?" Sasori tried to anger her, but Naruto's smirk only widened.

"Oh, I am _not _alone, Sasori."

She formed a well-known crossed hand-seal and shouted, "_Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique)!"_

Sasori stared at the mass of clones. Exactly one hundred.

Simultaneously, the Shadow Clones reached up to their shoulders, grabbing the hilts of their katanas with their right hands.

"Let's go!" they shouted as one and threw themselves at the red puppets.

The original Naruto stayed behind. She needed to form a new Kage Bunshin each time one of hers was killed. But she had a considerable advantage. While Sasori had to control all of the hundred puppets at once, ordering them like crazy to keep up with Naruto's clones, all Naruto had to do was watch and replace the dispelled clones. Her Kage Bunshin were able to think for themselves, they were not dependent on her orders or guiding. They were individual fighters, who thought exactly like her. And right now she was thinking of destroying those annoying dolls.

* * *

><p>Sasori tried his best to hide his annoyance. This girl was playing with him! He saw it clearly. The grin on her face proved that she was rather enjoying this.<p>

He had never heard of anyone using the Shadow Clone Technique to this extent. A hundred clones! This was getting ridiculous!

He needed to end this. As soon as possible.

* * *

><p>Three pairs of eyes stared at the scene in front of them, absolutely mesmerized by the display.<p>

Their captain was fighting the most feared technique of all puppet masters. Completely alone. And instead of being afraid, the blonde was grinning; looking as though she was having a good time.

One by one the puppets were destroyed, their broken wooden limbs covering the sandy ground.

"Erm," Kiba began hesitantly, "Is it only me or are you feeling kinda useless, too?"

Next to him, Shikamaru and Neji dumbly nodded their heads, not taking their eyes off the battle.

An angry voice shook them out of their stupor. "What the hell are you doing just standing there?"

Three heads snapped around to stare at their captain.

"Get the fuck moving and kill him! NOW!"

Naruto shook her head, not admitting that she was slightly amused. Their gaping faces had just been too funny. But they really needed to end this. She couldn't do this forever, even though the number of puppets was steadily decreasing.

Annoyed that everything was taking so long, she crossed her fingers and another fifty clones appeared. They charged the remaining puppets with feral looks on their faces.

Shikamaru tore his eyes off Naruto and quickly spoke to his team mates, explaining his newest strategy.

* * *

><p>Kakashi and the Sand siblings had to shield their eyes and duck behind the rocks they were hiding behind as Deidara's C3 bomb detonated.<p>

The heat was so intense, they felt it on their skins, even from the supposedly safe distance away. Temari gasped as the shockwave of the explosion hit their rock. It cracked ominously and for a second she thought it was going to break under the pressure.

Kakashi was the first to raise his head again. He had not anticipated such a powerful blast. But on the other hand, Itachi had warned them enough about Deidara's special explosive powers.

His ears were still ringing from the sheer volume of the explosion. Nothing moved as far as Kakashi could tell. Even his Sharingan couldn't see through the dense smoke, he'd need a Byakugan to do that.

"Gaara," Temari breathed, fear for her baby brother evident in her voice.

She was about to leap over the rocks to come to Gaara's aid, when Kakashi pulled her back once more.

"Wait!" he said urgently, "Look!"

Temari's eyes scanned the cloud of smoke once more. A swirling in the smoke caught her attention. Focusing on the movement, she gasped when she saw vibrant red hair emerge.

"Gaara!" she whispered softly, not quite believing it yet.

But indeed, her baby brother was slowly getting to his feet. The explosion had knocked him over, buried him in his own sand. Or had that been his intention? When he had ordered the desert sand around him to rise up? Right, Temari recognized one of her brother's jutsus; with which Gaara was able to summon the sand around him and forming an almost impenetrable shield to protect him. It was practically his Ultimate Defence, only with a considerable larger amount of sand and also more chakra. _(12)_

The smoke was gone completely, revealing Deidara. The criminal was standing so far away that his own bomb hadn't affected him. The blond was breathing heavily, clutching his shoulder again, where his right arm was missing.

As his eyes fell on the living Kazekage, his blue eyes widened, clearly shocked, but also furious that his attack hadn't killed the Jinchuuriki. The time to capture the Ichibi-container alive was long over. This had turned into a fight of life and death. And also of pride. Deidara would not lose to someone younger than him.

Deidara's left hand sank into his clay pouch. There was not much left. He had enough clay for either two middle scale or one large scale bomb. Maybe he should have listened to Sasori-sama once in his life and taken another pouch of clay with him. Sasori was probably fuming by now because Deidara was taking so long.

He watched the Jinchuuriki in front of him. The boy was supporting his weight on his knees as he was standing up. With his binocular Deidara zoomed in on the redhead. He saw sand falling away from his face. Apparently his sand had formed a layer of sand on his skin, covering him completely. This must be the Jinchuuriki's famous the Armour of Sand. _(13)_

Deidara didn't see signs of injury, but clearly this fight was taking its toll on his opponent as well.

But so it did on him. Deidara was running out of chakra and clay.

Gritting his teeth, the missing-nin made a decision.

* * *

><p>Kakashi didn't like the determined expression that suddenly crossed Deidara's face. Whatever the young man was thinking, it couldn't be good for Gaara.<p>

_Time to interfere,_ the grey-haired jounin thought, closing his Sharingan eye. His hands formed a seal and he began gathering his chakra. It didn't matter any more if Deidara detected them now. This fight would soon be over. And Kakashi would make sure that it was going to be the good kind of _over._

He felt the chakra flowing to his Sharingan, felt the pupil change its size and shape. Very slowly. He just hoped he wouldn't be too late. But he knew that Gaara had no chance of surviving another of those bombs.

And whatever kind of attack Deidara had left up his sleeve, Kakashi had the vague feeling that they were no longer safe behind their rocks either.

* * *

><p>"We can't get close to him as long as he has those propelling blades on his back," Kiba said, scowling at said spinning blades, which Sasori used to keep them away. While most of the criminal's attention was still on his Puppet Army fighting Naruto, he had still been able to defend himself against all attacks from the three boys.<p>

Shikamaru nodded, acknowledging Kiba's words. Whenever they were able to close in on their opponent, Sasori would either use the flame throwers in his palms or the sharp cable to fend them off.

Shikamaru's face grew more irritated. As quick as his mind was with developing new plans, Sasori was just equally as quick to make them all null and useless.

But the Nara genius was not done yet.

He gave two small commands to Kiba and Neji and off they went. Time for the next attack.

The brunette kneeled down on one knee, his hands coming up in front of his chest for his most-used jutsu. His shadow lengthened, gaining speed, racing towards Sasori.

But the former Sand-nin was aware enough of the others to see the coming attack. He pointed his open palm on the ground. A searing hot flame shot out, effectively eliminating all shadows under him.

Sasori changed positions to fully evade Shikamaru's Binding Technique, but that only brought him into range of Neji's attack.

The Hyuuga gathered the chakra in his right palm. "_Hakke Kusho (Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm),"_ _(14) _he said calmly and released the compressed air from his tenketsu points.

The vacuum sphere flew at Sasori. The redhead manoeuvred his propellers, half hovering, half jumping to the left, and Neji's attack missed him by a hair's breadth.

But Kiba was already in position, coming up behind the puppeteer, a kunai in his one hand, ninja wire in the other. He swung the kunai like a lasso, gaining momentum and threw it at Sasori's propellers. On Sasori's other side, Neji was doing the same.

The wire attached to the kunai wound itself around the spinning blades like a spider web.

There was a moment of anxious silence as the three boys held their breath, waiting for the wire to tear. But it held.

The propellers stopped spinning, constricted by the wire, causing Sasori to fall to the ground, no longer hanging in mid-air. He landed on his feet awkwardly, as Neji and Kiba pulled the wires tight, securing the criminal in place.

Sasori's head made an unnatural turn of 180 degrees, facing backwards. His eyes shone with insanity in the early morning sun.

The sharp cable from his belly struck at the two ninja holding the wires in place. Kiba was about to let go off the wire, trying to evade the pointed end of the cable aiming for his head, when a loud voice shouted,

"_Don't move!"_

Then many things happened at the same time.

Kiba turned his head towards the origin of the voice, seeing his blonde captain dashing forward at Sasori. A Rasengan charged in her hand, glowing and swirling.

Shikamaru clasped his hands together, forming a tight hand seal for his _Kagemane no Jutsu,_ desperately channelling the remnants of his chakra to stop the cable whizzing at Kiba's face.

Neji's pale eyes widened in wild worry, as he took in the whole scene with his 360 degree vision.

He saw Naruto pumping more chakra into her legs, pushing herself off the ground in a last effort to reach Sasori while he was still restrained.

Kiba bent backwards, squeezing his eyes shut, and doing his best not to let go of the wire, while preparing for the pain that awaited him if the pointed cable buried itself in his body.

Shikamaru's shadow was racing over the sandy ground with a speed he didn't know he was capable of.

Naruto drew her right hand back, aiming for the chakra device in Sasori's chest. She hardly felt her feet hitting the ground. She thrust her hand forward –

– and into Sasori's chest. She felt the wooden puppet body splinter under her attack, as her Rasengan buried itself in the softer tissue of what was left of the criminal's heart.

Something hot and wet splashed against her arms and Naruto was surprised to see it was blood. She had not thought that there was still blood in this abnormality of an organ. It was just wrong.

Naruto felt the heart shudder under her fingers, giving a last pitiful pulse. And then. Nothing.

Neji saw the chakra fade away, his Byakugan showed him that their opponent was truly dead.

Sasori was dead. They had killed him.

Kiba dared to open one of his eyes, hesitantly checking whether it was safe to move again. A rather surprised female shriek escaped his lips when he saw the tip of the cable hanging only millimetres over his nose, the sharp metal almost touching his skin.

He finally let his grip on the wire slack, which caused him to very ungracefully fall on his butt; still staring wide-eyed at the weapon that had almost split his head in two.

Sweat was running down Shikamaru's forehead, his whole body was shaking from the effort to hold up his jutsu. He saw Kiba sprawled on the ground and deemed it fine to release the technique. His shadow shrank back and the cable fell to the ground, lifeless and harmless.

Naruto stared at her arm buried in Sasori's chest. She had killed the manic Akatsuki member. With a hand through his heart. This was just too eerily similar to a certain scene to feel comfortable.

She drew her arm back with a squishy sound. Purple blood dropped from her fingertips onto the golden desert sand. _Purple,_ she thought, fascinated by the colour that was just so wrong, _so even his heart was poisoned._

Neji let out a sigh, finally dropping the wire. Sasori's puppet body fell over with a hollow '_thud_'.

Shikamaru wiped the sweat off his brow. The danger had passed. They really did it.

He turned his head to look at his blonde captain. What he saw made him cringe. The girl was intently staring at her hand, which she had lifted in front of her face. He could see the purple blood on her tanned skin. Her blue eyes glistened in the sunlight and it looked as if her pupils had turned into slits... or was that just a trick of the light? He hoped so.

"Naruto," he called out, slowly getting up from the ground. The girl didn't react.

"Naruto," he called again, louder this time. He walked over to her, his legs heavy from the long battle.

"Taichou!" he said, gripping the girl's shoulder and turning her around to face him.

There was a moment of confusion, where he thought that Naruto was not clearly recognizing him, but it was gone in an instant, leaving behind tired blue orbs.

"Shika," she blinked, "What's up?"

"Naru?" the brunette asked carefully, "We killed him. Sasori is dead." He squeezed her shoulder gently, trying to bring her back from wherever she was right now.

The smaller blonde blinked again, gazing up at him with her big blue eyes, and looking so innocent in that moment, with the sun illuminating her blonde hair, that the fact that this girl had just killed one of the most feared S-class criminals in the Elemental Nations with her bare hands, made his chest hurt.

Naruto blinked a last time and finally seemed to join him back in reality. Her eyes hardened and the image of the innocent girl was swiftly replaced with a strong, young ANBU captain.

Naruto clapped Shikamaru on the arm in a gesture of saying 'Good work'.

Her eyes wandered over to her other two team mates. Kiba lay still sprawled on the ground. She watched Neji walk over to him. The Hyuuga offered the Inuzuka a hand and lifted the boy off the ground. Akamaru yelped next to Kiba, his pink tongue hanging from his mouth.

The two brunettes plus nin-dog strolled over to their captain and the Nara. Kiba had a huge grin on his face, the adrenaline from just barely escaping death still pumping through his veins.

Before anyone knew what was happening, Kiba glomped them, roughly pulling them all into a group hug.

The usually stoic Neji gasped at the sudden contact. Naruto glared at Kiba for ramming her head into Shikamaru's and Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the Inuzuka's antics.

"Man, guys," Kiba yelled excitedly, way too loud for being so close, "That was some _insane_ team work!"

Shikamaru and Neji both rolled their eyes at Kiba for once again stating the obvious.

The exuberant boy barked a laugh and loudly admitted, "I thought I was gonna die there for a sec, though. Thanks man!" and clapped Shikamaru on the back, pulling all his friends even closer.

Neji sputtered as his cheeks touched Naruto's on one side and Kiba's on the other. Shikamaru didn't have enough space to even roll his eyes and Naruto got a good whiff of very male sweat.

"Yuk," she yelled playfully, shoving against the prison of arms, "You guys stink!"

Akamaru barked in agreement and Kiba erupted into laughter. Even Neji chuckled softly, pushing his sweaty hair out of his face.

Shikamaru had a wide smirk on his face, but it quickly diminished as he saw the tense look on his captain's face.

Naruto's gaze wandered over the quickly heating desert, lingering where Gaara and the others were supposed to be fighting. He understood that Naruto wouldn't be able to rest completely until she saw the others safe and well.

The captain tore her eyes off the horizon. "Let's finish up quickly. I need to see how Gaara is doing."

Her team nodded, the mood immediately growing more sombre. But after all they were still on a battle field and as long as not all of them were safely back together, none of them would find peace.

They gathered their ANBU masks up from the ground from wherever they had lost them during the fighting. Their cloaks were dusty, but otherwise amazingly undamaged. Naruto sealed Sasori's puppet body in a scroll. Kankurou had made her promise to bring him the puppet master's body. No matter what condition it was in. After that they collected every single piece of Sasori's Red Puppets, as not to leave any evidence behind. The Akatsuki would soon find out that capturing the Ichibi Jinchuuriki had been unsuccessful, but Naruto didn't want them to find out what exactly had happened.

By the time they were ready to leave, the sun was up in the sky and the soothing coldness of the night had given way for the burning heat of the day.

Letting Neji lead the way with his Byakugan, Naruto followed behind him, her eyes scanning the horizon, impatiently trying to move faster. _Gaara, you better be okay!_

* * *

><p>Gaara was glaring at the man in front of him. What was he doing shedding his clothes in the middle of a fight?<p>

Indeed, Deidara was yanking off both his cloak and shirt, leaving his chest bare.

"You're starting to fucking piss me off," the blond yelled, spit flying from his mouth.

The redhead's eyes opened only slightly in horror at the sight of a sewn up mouth on Deidara's chest, right over the place where one expected the heart. The blond's left hand began biting threw the threads and the mouth opened, a pink tongue greedily lapping for air.

Deidara's hand reached in his pouch, removing the last lump of white clay from it. "How can you remain so calm, even at the sight of my explosive art!"

Seeing that it was truly Deidara's last explosive clay, Gaara knew whatever attack he was planning, it would be grander than anything so far.

The redhead spread his arms, his limbs shaking from exhaustion and chakra overuse. His last barrier had hardly been able to withstand the power of Deidara's bomb. He was uncertain whether he would manage to shield himself against the next one.

He observed his opponent closely, slowly channelling his chakra to his hands. He got down on one knee, pressing his palms onto the sand. This attack would cost him his last chakra. And it would take a while to take effect. Hopefully it wouldn't be too late.

Across the desert, Deidara was feeding the clay lump to the unnatural mouth in his chest. The pink tongue flicked out, greedily tasting the clay, eating it all up.

Thanks to the sunlight, Gaara saw Deidara's transformation clearly. It started with his veins; beginning to stand out; black against the light skin.

"You should be expressing admiration over my artistic ability," he yelled, "It pisses me the fuck off!"

He was panting, taking needy breaths, while trying to express his anger at not being taken seriously about his art.

The black lines spread over his entire body. "This will be my ultimate piece of art, Jinchuuriki!"

His skin turned ashen.

Whatever was happening, Gaara knew his jutsu wouldn't be ready in time. In a last desperate attempt to protect himself as best as possible, he began forming yet another shield, layering sand over sand. It obscured his sight on his opponent, but Gaara was most certain that he would know the second Deidara's jutsu went off.

Sand rose over him, blocking the morning sun and leaving him in shadows. He hoped this was going to be enough.

* * *

><p>"We really need to do something now, Kakashi-san!" Temari urged on the grey-haired jounin.<p>

Said man was sitting behind one of the rocks, both his eyes closed and his hands still in the same seal. Kankurou felt an immense increase in the man's chakra, but whatever he was doing, the Sand-nin hoped it would safe his little brother. And preferably them, too, as the sight before him was enough to almost send him running away in panic.

"I'll explode!" Kankurou heard Deidara shout, definitely sounding more insane than ever.

"I shall die and become art itself! This shall be like no explosion before it! My C0, my Ultimate Art!" _(15)_

Kankurou gulped. His baby brother was no longer safe, that he was sure of. But Kakashi only said not to worry.

"Then," the crazy S-class criminal kept on shouting, "my art will receive the admiration it's always deserved!"

Kankurou squinted his eyes. Was it only his imagination or was Deidara turning to be transparent? No, he was right. The man was becoming transparent! See-through! What kind of jutsu did that?

At Deidara's next words, the Sand siblings' heart sank.

"The radius of this explosion is ten kilometres! There's no escape from this!" A maniacal laughter followed his declaration.

Temari had enough. She could no longer wait. Breaking free of her brother's clutch, she leapt over the rocks, starting to run to Gaara on unsteady feet.

Something slammed into her from behind, effectively forcing the air from her lungs as she was buried underneath someone.

Kakashi held her down with one hand, the other on his closed Sharingan; a knee between her shoulder blades.

"I said. Not. To interfere," he growled out, emphasizing his words by pushing the young woman's head into the ground.

Kankurou gaped, but got to his feet and joined Kakashi and Temari. But he knew better than to recklessly charge onto the scene now. Temari was colourfully cursing Kakashi, who seemed to have no intention of removing himself from his place on her back.

Their attention was caught again, when Deidara's body... disappeared, leaving behind only the outlines of his chakra-filled veins. His last words echoed through the silent desert.

"_Art is a blast!"_

The veins were sucked into a black sphere, which had taken the place of the mouth linked to Deidara's heart.

The tension in the air was almost palpable, as slowly, cracks lined the black sphere, bright blue chakra shining through. The cracks widened, rays of chakra broke out and still –

– Kakashi was doing nothing.

The chakra completely broke out of the sphere. The ball of compressed energy grew in size, until a column of pure explosive energy shot into the sky.

Temari wiggled violently, trying to break free, only for her head to be shoved into the ground again.

Kankurou's mouth opened, desperately yelling the name of his little brother.

He saw the explosion race towards them, an unstoppable force, eliminating everything in its wake. Mere seconds and it would reach Gaara's wall of sand.

Kankurou closed his eyes, not wanting to watch his baby brother's shield give in.

He held his breath. Mere seconds until he would die.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Another second. Went by.

Nothing.

Carefully, Kankurou opened his eyes.

The air across the desert was swirling, running together in a blur; the light blue of the sky mixed with the white-yellow of the sun. Gradually, the air turned back to normal, gone was the illusion.

Kankurou blinked. Where had the explosion gone?

He heard a dull '_thud_' and saw Kakashi keel over from the corner of his eyes. Now free of the tall man's weight, Temari sat up, her eyes wide with confusion. She shared a look with her brother, who looked just as dumbfounded.

A loud bark made their heads snap around. Kiba's large nin-dog ran toward them, Team Naruto in tow.

Hesitant grins spread over the Sand siblings' faces. Their arrival meant that Sasori had been defeated.

Naruto pushed her mask onto her head as she came to stand in front of Temari. She offered the older girl a hand and pulled her up.

"We saw a huge explosion, but then it suddenly vanished," Naruto explained, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

Temari shrugged and pointed at the unconscious Kakashi. "He did something with his Sharingan. I didn't exactly see what he did, but it somehow saved us all."

That made Naruto's head snap up from resting on her sensei. "Where's Gaara?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

Temari clasped a hand over her mouth, shocked about the fact that she had actually forgotten to check on the very brother she had been so worried about only minutes before. Before she could say anything, Naruto was already rushing over to where she saw Gaara's sand shield.

_Please let him be okay,_ she pleaded silently, falling to her knees next to a larger pile of sand. She could feel his chakra and that was at least an indication for that he was alive.

"Gaara," she called and watched as the sand shield disintegrated.

Soon, dusty red hair emerged from the pile, sand drizzling down his head. Eager to get him free, Naruto grabbed his arm and pulled him out of ground. Her fellow Jinchuuriki slumped down, leaning heavily onto her shoulder.

"Gaara," Naruto whispered, her mouth right next to his ear, "you did it. Deidara's gone!"

Gaara's head moved and Naruto took it as a confirming nod. "Naruto..." His voice was barely audible, but thanks to Naruto's enhanced hearing, she heard his words clearly. "You're here..."

"Yes," she breathed in awe, only now fully comprehending the situation; the knowledge of having defeated their opponents and successfully protected Sunagakure sinking in.

"I'm here, Gaara," Naruto smiled into his dirty hair, not bothering about the sand on her lips. She pulled her best friend into a fierce hug, adrenaline pumping through her veins from the sheer knowledge of being alive. "We really did it."

* * *

><p><strong><span>Insanely long Jutsu list:<span>**

(1) _Sabaku Fuyuu: Desert Sand Floating. _Ninjutsu, utilized by Gaara. Using his ability to levitate sand, Gaara will bring together sand into cloud shaped clumps. These clumps are dense enough for Gaara or another ninja to rest on.

(2) _Gatsuuga: Fang Passing Fang. _The user and his partner spin at a ferocious speed and deliver many powerful beast-like attacks when contact is made with the target. The force of this attack is strong enough to drill through stone. This attack can be done alone.

(3) _Kagemane no Jutsu: Shadow Imitation Technique/Shadow Binding Technique. _The Shadow Imitation Technique allows the user to extend their shadow on any surface (even water and as far as they want as long as there is a sufficient area. Once it comes into contact with a target's shadow, the two merge and the target is forced to imitate the user's movements.

(4) _Rendan: Suna Shigure: Successive Shots: Sand Drizzle. _Gaara creates dozens of sand bullets that he uses to shower the enemy with.

(5) _C1: _Deidara's most basic and versatile form of explosive clay, that is created from a single palm mouth. These are small animated dolls that often resemble animals. Depending upon which variation is created, they will retain the abilities of the creatures they where modelled after, i.e. those resembling birds can still fly. This feature combined with their little independent explosive power, makes them excellent for covert operations. He can produce and release a significant number of them at high speeds.

(6) _Sabaku Rou: Desert Prison. _Ninjutsu; a large scale version of Sabaku Kyuu (Desert Coffin). With this technique, Gaara will cause a large sphere of sand to encircle and trap his target.

(7) _Futon: Daitoppa: Wind Release: Great Breakthrough._This is a relatively simple technique that creates a sudden gust of wind, but its scale varies greatly depending on the user. If used by a superior shinobi, it has enough destructive power to knock down a large tree. The wind from the squall can blow away all things in the user's line of sight.

(8) _Hakkesho Kaiten: Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven._After releasing chakra from every tenketsu in their body, the user then spins rapidly to parry the attack, both creating a rotating shield of chakra around themselves and tossing away any nearby attackers; only members of the Hyuuga clan can use it.

(9) _Hakke Rokujūyon Shō: Eight Trigrams Sixty-four Palms__. _With the Byakugan's near 360° field of vision, the user envisions an Eight Trigrams circle. Then the enemy within this circle is hit with a series of violent blows. By striking sixty-four of the tenketsu throughout the opponent's Chakra Pathway System, their chakra flow is stopped, making them unable to even stand.

(10) _Sabaku Sousou: Desert Funeral._Gaara will cause sand to rise from the ground and encase his target using his Sabaku Kyuu technique, making them captured in place. Gaara will then do this jutsu to constrict and crush his target killing them.

(11) _C3:_Deidara's most powerful large scale bomb, that once activated becomes an enormous statue that Deidara drops on his target from above. It's the one Deidara dropped on Sunagakure.

(12) _Kusa Boheki: Air Sand Protective Wall._This air defence technique creates a giant shield of sand that is suspended in mid-air by raising a great amount of sand from the ground. By gathering the best possible mineral-rich sand, the hardness of the shield is considered to be very high. Furthermore, the sand has its defensive strength raised by flowing chakra through it. It was strong enough to protect Sunagakure from Deidara's C3.

(13) _Suna no Yoroi: Armour of Sand._Using this technique, Gaara can cover himself in a compacted layer of sand, providing an additional defence should his Shield of Sand fail; combined together, these two are known as Gaara's "Absolute Defence". Though quite effective, maintaining the armour requires a large amount of chakra and stamina.

(14) _Hakke Kusho: Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm._The user precisely pinpoints the enemy's vital points with the Byakugan and releases a high-speed palm thrust. A "vacuum shell" compressed using the Gentle Fist is formed to attack the opponent's vitals from a distance, blowing them off their feet with tremendous force before they even notice they were hit.

(15) _C0:_The highest form of Deidara's explosive clay; his "Ultimate Art"; C0 is a suicide technique used as a last resort. He reveals a mouth on his chest, which is stitched up. After undoing the stitches, Deidara feeds it a large ball of clay. The mouth on his chest has a direct connection to his heart so a large amount of chakra is built up. It then kneads chakra directly from the meridians of the heart and keeps doing it without interruption until the moment of the explosion. His explosive chakra then manifests itself in his veins, flowing through his body. These "veins" then condense into a sphere that slowly cracks open and detonates, producing a unique explosion that covers a ten kilometre radius.

_**I'm taking all the information on the techniques from either Narutopedia or Leafninjadotcom (Thanks to **_**Aryk von Straln ****_for pointing this site out to me; but you're right, it takes quite long to find what you're actually looking for). It was such a pain to look them all up... But I hope it was worth it!_**

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading everyone and I'm so curious to see how you liked it! Please be honest with me, you know that I do have problems with writing fight scenes, but I hope it turned out okay...<strong>

**I tried to keep this fight as realistic as possible. I don't want to make Naruto and her team too strong. But on the other hand, it was a four on one fight, so they really had an advantage over Sasori. His end might not have been as epic as in the Anime/Manga, but this story is not supposed to be a rewrite of what we already know. And Deidara really died, using his suicide bomb, so he won't appear again.**

**Also keep in mind that I messed with the time line a bit. In this story, Orochimaru has already been killed when Naruto faces Sasori and Deidara. So of course, Sasori can't spill any information on Orochimaru or Sasuke. And besides, Naruto is not looking for news on Sasuke. This mission solely serves the purpose to help protect her friend Gaara and hence also Sunagakure. And as Naruto made it her new aim to destroy the Akatsuki, this is the first step.**

**There were actually 5 more pages to this chapter, mainly Sasori's and Deidara's POV on their respective battles, but I deleted it, since I thought it was interrupting the little suspense I was able to create... And also their POV was not that essential to the fighting.**

**Everything that seems to be unclear right now, will be solved in the next chapter.**

**Enough talking now. But one last thing, I don't know when the next chapter will be up. I have exams one day before Christmas... yay... And even if it is still some weeks, I need to study a loooot – and I mean a lot. I hope you won't have to wait until after Christmas, I'll do my best to get the next chapter out as soon as possible!**

**Until the next time!**

**xXHaneliXx**


	13. Chapter 13

**The author says:** I'm so glad that you liked the fight scenes in the last chapter!

And just WOW! I never imagined my first story to get so many reviews! So you all leave me a comment after reading this and there will be over 200! Your support makes me so happy! :)

Please enjoy chapter 13!

Hier kommt etwas auf deutsch! Da ich gesehen habe, dass immer mehr Deutsche meine story verfolgen, wollte ich euch auch mal direkt ansprechen! Fühlt euch hiermit sehr herzlich dazu eingeladen, auch auf deutsch zu reviewen! ;) Vielen Dank an alle deutschen Leser! Ich hoffe, dass euch dieses Kapitel gefällt!

**I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><strong>'He had no Idea'<strong>

**Chapter 13**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Things aren't the way they were before<br>You wouldn't even recognize me any more  
>Not that you knew me back then<br>but it all comes back to me  
>(In the end) <strong>_

_**You kept everything inside and even though I tried/ it all fell apart  
>What it meant to me will eventually/ be a memory/ of a time when**_

_**I tried so hard  
>and got so far<br>But in the end  
>it doesn't even matter<strong>_

_**I had to fall  
>to lose it all <strong>_

**- 'In The End' by Linkin Park**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sunagakure no Sato, the Kazekage's private training grounds:<strong>_

Four days after the successful battle against Sasori and Deidara, Naruto was already training again. She had hardly been injured at all. Neither had been her team mates. The only one out of order was Kakashi. Her old sensei had been conscious for some hours yesterday and explained to her and the others what had happened.

Apparently, Kakashi had managed to gain the Mangekyou Sharingan, a more powerful version of the normal Sharingan. Naruto vaguely remembered that Itachi had one, as well. Besides that, she didn't know a lot about the Doujutsu of the Uchiha clan.

The technique Kakashi had used was called _Kamui (1); _a jutsu with which he was able to send objects to another dimension. That was how he had stopped Deidara's suicide bomb; practically sucked it out of the air.

However, since Kakashi was not an Uchiha, using the Mangekyou was taking a huge toll on his body. The amount of chakra he needed to perform the jutsu, had left him completely drained. For now he was resting in the private hospital room in the Kazekage Tower.

As far as the villagers were concerned, the small delegation from Konoha was in Suna for a surprise visit. Kakashi had over-exhausted himself during training. Or that was what they said when anyone asked about his condition.

Kankurou was happily working on Sasori's puppet body. The young puppeteer was determined to restore it and use it in future battles. It was an excellent puppet, one of the likes Kankurou had not yet been able to build in his young years.

Gaara had only suffered from a severe case of chakra exhaustion, but he was up the next day already. The advantages of being a Jinchuuriki. His wounds were healing nicely and thanks to Naruto's former visits to Suna, no-one was wondering why the Kazekage was injured. Training with Naruto always left behind some more or less obvious clues.

Kiba and Akamaru were discovering the unknown territory. The Inuzuka kept complaining about the sand and the heat, but he seemed to like the foreign food quite enough.

Shikamaru was spending a lot of time with Temari. In fact, there was hardly a time when Naruto didn't see the two together. When Kiba had teased the Nara about it, he had only shrugged and muttered a "Troublesome," but Naruto had seen the lightest blush on his cheeks and shared a knowing look with Neji.

The Hyuuga was training with Naruto right now. Somehow, her team seemed to be worried about her. The boys never left her alone, one of them was always with her. The blonde girl hadn't allowed herself much rest after the fight. The little scratches she had received, had been healed by Kyuubi before they arrived back in Suna.

She felt Neji's eyes on her, as she stood in the middle of the training ground, her head turned away from the glaring sun. She wore her normal clothes, since they were supposedly on vacation. But for once she had donned her leather pants for some shorts. Her already tanned skin was darkening under the desert sun. Much to Neji's annoyance. The light-skinned Hyuuga needed to cover his skin completely lest he got a nice sunburn.

Naruto ran a hand over her sweaty forehead. Thanks to Kyuubi she could endure the heat way better than the other Leaf-nin, but she still felt hot and dusty. Her blonde hair was dirty and at the end of the day, a considerable amount of sand fell from hit when she ran the brush through it.

The girl stretched her arms over her head, enjoying the feeling of her plopping joints. She yawned lazily and finally looked at Neji, who was persistently staring at her.

"What is it, Neji?" she asked, her voice tired and slightly irritated.

The brunette walked closer and stopped in front of her. "What's wrong with you, Naruto-san?" he asked, concerned.

Naruto had learned to ignore the fact that Neji still addressed her so formally, but every time she tried to correct him, he said it'd be disrespectful to speak to his captain like that. So she just let him have his way.

She deliberately looked away from him, feigning confusion. But she should know by now that you could not hide your feelings from the Hyuuga prodigy. _Damn the Hyyugas and their all-knowing eyes._

"You have been unusually absent-minded since you killed Sasori," Neji spoke, ignoring the fact that his captain was ignoring him. "I want you to know that if you need someone to talk to, I'm right here."

Naruto glanced up at him, surprised by the offer. Speaking about her problems to Neji had not been the first thing on her mind, but on the other hand, talking to anyone about any of her feelings was never really on her mind.

"Um, thanks, Neji," the blonde said unintelligently, but Neji still caught the grateful undertone.

Without waiting for Naruto to say anything else, the brunette went on. "I was wondering what might have you so worried, Naruto-san. So I came up with some theories."

Naruto blinked._ Man, he's unusually talkative today._

Again, Neji didn't wait for her reply, but kept talking. "The first thing I thought you might have found disturbing –"

"Neji, just spit it out," Naruto said, clearly irritated by the Hyuuga's refined and way too complicated way of talking.

Neji pursed his lips, but nodded; outwardly unfazed by his captain's lack of patience. But then he asked the question straight away. "Was it the first time you killed someone?"

Naruto blinked again, actually a bit moved that the Hyuuga cared so much to ask her whether she had any qualms or regrets about killing.

The smaller girl gave Neji a sad smile. "No, Neji, it was not the first time."

In fact, she had killed enemies several times already; while travelling with Jiraiya, but also during the half year she had been on her own. Jiraiya had told her something that she had taken to heart. _If you need to kill someone, gaki, wait for the right moment. But never hesitate. If your heart hesitates only a second, it can get you killed in turn. Wait when it's necessary, but never hesitate. It's either you or them._

She had long thought about her sensei's words and for a long time, she had thought them heartless. But she had come to understand that killing was part of the job. She'd always wanted to be a ninja and ninjas were confronted with death more times than they liked it. While Naruto didn't enjoy killing, she told herself that it was necessary.

If she was honest with herself, she didn't regret killing Sasori. No, not at all. By killing him, she had eliminated a threat to herself, her fellow Jinchuuriki and also the rest of the world. Sasori was a criminal, a lunatic, who turned people into human puppets. That was not art but disgusting.

No, she didn't regret killing him. It was just like Jiraiya had taught her. _It's either you or them._

Realizing she had spaced out, Naruto focused and saw Neji's pale eyes still on her.

"Thanks, Neji, but that's not it," she assured him.

Neji gave a curt nod, he believed her.

"What is it then? Are you not satisfied with our performance during the fight?"

Naurto's head snapped up, gaping. "Wh-What?" she asked, perplexed and a little shocked.

How could Neji say something like that? Hadn't she told her team how great they did?

"Neji," she began, her voice firm and eyes hard, to make Neji see how serious she was, "I could never have finished Sasori on my own. You guys were awesome and if not for you, I'm pretty sure the outcome of this fight would have been different."

Neji nodded again and Naruto thought for a moment that the Hyuuga actually knew what was bothering her, but wanted to give her the opportunity to address it on her own.

A sudden wave of panic swelled up inside of Naruto and she probably spoke too quickly, because the brunette was frowning suspiciously.

"Look, Neji... I appreciate your concern, but please... There's no need to worry about me, I'm fine, really."

The way the pale eyes bore into hers made Naruto turn away from her team mate, feeling uncomfortable under the scrutinizing gaze and knowing eyes.

The blonde felt a hand brush her arm gently, comfortingly. "Please don't lie to me, Naruto-san. I won't press the matter, since I see that it makes you feel uncomfortable. But please know that you're not alone."

The touch was gone from her arm and as Naruto spun around, a weak protest on her lips,, Neji had already left in a whirl of leaves.

She let her head hung and ungracefully slumped down, lying flatly on the hot sand of Gaara's private training grounds.

There were no clouds in the blue sky. She had to squint her eyes against the blinding sun. She folded her hands under her head and looked up at a sky that looked so different from the one she knew from Konoha.

A heartfelt sigh forced itself over her lips.

_You're not alone._

Again those words. Everyone kept telling her that.

Maybe it was time she started believing it once and for all?

She closed her eyes against the sun, a sceptical frown on her face. It was so stupid of her to shut everyone out after the fight. Her team had shown a team work that she had not thought they were capable of yet. The team was only three weeks young after all, and even after all the intense training and the two smaller missions the had taken, they lacked experience. But against Sasori, everyone had contributed their skills. Even if Naruto had been the one to land the final blow, the guys had made it possible in the first place.

No, her team was not worrying her. Something else was and she had tried her best to physically occupy her body for that her mind had no time to think.

That plan had failed.

She had never been the person to talk to other people about her problems. She snorted at the thought. There had never been a person to share her problems with in the first place. The very few people that had cared about her during her childhood, she never wanted to trouble them. She had mouthed her anger or sadness to Sasuke sometimes, but the boy had never really shown any interest. _And now I know why. He just never cared._

The frown on her tanned face deepened and she forced herself to stop with the cynical thoughts.

_Right,_ she mentally snapped at herself, _back to more cheerful thoughts. _To what was really bothering her.

_Kyuubi._

It had taken all of her stubborn will to shut the demon out during the fight. She had felt him lurking in the back of her mind the whole time, waiting for the tiniest slip on her part. The feeling of his intense bloodlust had made her sick.

Too clearly she remembered how she had almost given in to his alluring promises of killing all her enemies for her, if she only let him out; ripped off the seal on his cage in her mind.

She remembered how she had stared at Sasori's poisoned blood on her hand, running down her fingers, with a fascination that was not her own.

She had been a step away from licking it off her fingers.

Suddenly feeling very nauseated, Naruto shuddered and set up, clutching her exposed stomach.

What would have happened, if Shikamaru had not called out to her? She didn't want to know.

Maybe she was not alone, like Neji and everyone else kept telling her. But she would be again, as soon as they found out.

Found out that she heard the Kyuubi's dark laughter in the back of her mind.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Somewhere in a forest in Lightning Country:<strong>_

The only female member of Team Taka glanced at the raven, who had freed her from Orochimaru's lair. Sasuke was resting against the trunk of a tree, his eyes closed and his shoulders slightly slumped. The plan had been to only stop for lunch for an hour or so, but soon after they had finished eating, they heard his even breathing and knew their boss had fallen asleep.

The three others had decided not to wake the pale young man. In the four months since Sasuke had assembled the team, they had watched his condition slowly but steadily grow worse.

They were not sure when it had actually started, but the first signs of his inner distress had shown when they had followed a lead on Itachi for over three weeks. When they just thought they had actually caught up to him, they found out that they had missed the older Uchiha by mere minutes. They hadn't been able to track him again after that. And Sasuke had lost it.

He had obliterated half the forest of Earth Country in his blind frenzy; raging until he had no chakra left. He had keeled over right there, in the midst of his destruction, and Juugo had had to carry him, for they had to leave the country lest they wanted to be found by the Kumo shinobi.

That had been two months ago. Sasuke had not said a word about the incident and the others knew better than to mention the momentary loss of his famous control.

Silently agreeing to keep an eye on their boss from then on, the three began watching him closely. Karin was the first to recognize the signs of Sasuke's inner torment. She felt it in his chakra, the changing of his moods.

Most of the times, Sasuke's chakra was dark and broody. But then it would turn to utterly depressed at times, until Karin could hardly stand his presence. The anger was always boiling in Sasuke. Karin was not too surprised that the pale raven needed to let go of the pressure at certain moments.

But there was something else, buried deep inside the young Uchiha. But so far Karin was unable to put her finger on the feeling that Sasuke tried to ignore.

And now, three pairs of eyes were regarding the raven quietly, as the permanent scowl on his face eased out in sleep.

Suigetsu raised his eyebrows in surprise. They often woke up in the middle of the night, aroused by Sasuke's nightmares. To see him resting in daylight was something new for them and to actually see him going through his troublesome dreams morbidly fascinated them.

Their otherwise cool and impassive boss never talked much, but they had come to terms with his cold attitude towards them. They knew he had not gathered them to form a happy family, but out of necessity; their only goal was to hunt Itachi and to finally kill him. That _Sasuke_ killed Itachi, that was.

Karin's eyes widened in awe as Sasuke's features smoothed out and his chakra lit up. Wait – _what?_

The redhead closed her eyes and concentrated on the raven's chakra. There was an entirely new feeling to it; like a nuance of a colour she had never seen before. The underlying anger was not gone completely, but it felt as if something had pushed it away, gently.

Then it changed. All of a sudden, the cloud of darkness seemed to grow. It violently exploded and overshadowed the tiny beacon of light in Sasuke's chakra.

And Karin felt it, the feeling she hadn't been able to name before. It was... despair. Mixed with gut-wrenching fear that Karin couldn't explain. Whatever Sasuke was dreaming about, was affecting him greatly; more than anything during the day ever did. It was so easy for Karin to read his chakra, however, she could never tell his emotions from looking at his blank face.

Her eyes flew open as Juugo nudged her hard on the arm. Her red eyes immediately fell on the raven, whose face once more was a grimace of pure anguish. Only in his sleep was it that he couldn't fight against his emotions to show outwardly.

The boy woke with a start, his onyx eyes wide in panic. "_Naruto–"_

The name died on his lips as onyx eyes focused and recognized the three people staring at him. He realized he was breathing too fast and forced his body to relax. His back slumped back against the tree. He pulled his legs up a bit and let his arms rest loosely on his knees. He felt too hot and his heart was still beating irregularly in his chest.

Suigetsu and Juugo shared a look, not exactly sure how to handle the situation. Karin was still staring at the boy, still trying to comprehend the disturbance in his chakra. She was wondering. Before she could stop herself, the question was out of her mouth.

"Who is Naruto?" the redhead blurted out.

Sasuke's head snapped up, onyx eyes staring at her, but not really seeing her.

Karin pushed her glasses back up her nose and silently prayed she wouldn't fall victim to one of Sasuke's fits. But to everyone's surprise, the raven spoke.

"She..." he swallowed and the others shared a confused look. Sasuke and a _girl?_ And Sasuke actually sharing some of his past?

His eyes fell closed as the image of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, little girl appeared on his mind.

"She was someone... I left behind," Sasuke said in a hollow voice. His tone was final and everyone knew that the conversation was over. And better not to be mentioned again.

* * *

><p>It was three days later that Team Taka arrived in a small city where they planned to stock up on food and fresh clothes. It was also one of the rare nights they spent in an actual bed.<p>

Sasuke and Suigetsu were walking through the lively streets, keeping their ears and eyes open for the smallest hint on Sasuke's brother. Suigetsu was grumbling under his breath, annoyed at his boss, who never allowed him to take his huge sword with him. But they were civilians here and even Sasuke had left his visible weapons in the hotel.

Suigetsu was eyeing Sasuke from the corner of his eyes. The white-haired water-boy had been the first to travel with Sasuke and while Suigetsu would never admit it out loud, he was kind of grateful to Sasuke that he had freed him from Orochimaru's labs. The raven could have easily left him there, leaving him at Kabuto's mercy. But the Uchiha had actually taken him with him, freeing him from his prison and ending his miserable existence as one of Orochimaru's test objects.

So Suigetsu had grown attached to Sasuke. Another fact the boy would never admit aloud. But he couldn't help to feel a tiny bit worried about Sasuke. He didn't need Karin's sensory abilities to see that something was seriously wrong with the raven. He looked paler than usual – unhealthy even.

And what had that nightmare three days ago been about? Engrossed in his own thoughts, Suigetsu almost ran into his boss's back, as Sasuke suddenly stopped walking.

Suigetsu looked at Sasuke, who in turn was staring at the sign of a restaurant. Suigetsu's lilac eyes wandered up and widened.

Why was the usually stoic Uchiha staring at ramen restaurant of all things as if he'd seen a ghost?

Sasuke's eyes were unfocused, a funny look on his face. Suigetsu really couldn't say what it was. The smell of the salty ramen noodles was thick in the air. Suigetsu scrunched his nose. He was not a big fan of ramen.

But apparently Sasuke was.

The raven had stopped staring and was now walking into the small stand, sitting on a stool in front of the counter. Unsure of what was going on, Suigetsu shrugged and followed him, taking the stool next to Sasuke.

"Are you hungry, boss?" the white-haired shinobi asked, glancing at Sasuke.

But the raven didn't answer, since the chef came.

"Three servings of large miso ramen, please," Sasuke gave his order; his voice soft and sounding as if he was in some kind of trance.

Suigetsu gaped openly. There was the answer to his earlier question; Sasuke was obviously very hungry. But why was he acting so strange? And Suigetsu had never figured Sasuke to be the ramen-loving type of person.

Suigetsu hastily ordered as the chef cleared his throat, waiting.

The food came quickly and they ate in silence. Sasuke didn't say a word.

The raven was deep in thoughts, caught up in memories of a blonde-haired girl, who loved to eat ramen. How many times had they had lunch at Ichiraku's? He had no idea. How many times had he refused to taste Naruto's favourite food? Just as many, if not more.

Sasuke savoured the salty taste. And suddenly he wasn't in Kaminari no Kuni any more, but back in Konoha. He saw a twelve-year old Naruto sitting next to him, happily chattering away about whatnot, while simultaneously trying to keep the noodles in her mouth. The girl's loud way of talking had often resulted in Sasuke getting spit at. He would glare at her and reprimand her for talking while chewing.

"Dobe," he would have said and sometimes even rolled his eyes at her in playful exasperation.

"What? Sasuke? I didn't get you," Suigetsu spoke up, leaning closer to Sasuke.

Sasuke stared at his chop-sticks, halfway to his mouth. A smirk appeared on his lips. How often did he have to pay for her, because her ridiculous frog – no, it was a toad, he remembered, she had always corrected him for calling it a frog – of a wallet had been empty again? He had no idea.

Bemused, Sasuke snorted and brought the chop-sticks to his mouth and dug in.

Why had he so vehemently refused to try this during their childhood? Ramen was really not that bad. Actually, he liked the taste. Besides, it reminded him of Naruto.

A content smirk spread over Sasuke's chewing lips as the depressive air hanging over him lifted. With every bite he swallowed, the ever-present dull ache in his chest lessened. His stomach filled with ramen. Absent-minded as he was, he didn't even realize that he was already on the third bowl. The smirk on his face grew as he imagined Naruto ordering yet another three bowls. She really loved ramen.

Was Naruto in Konoha now? Enjoying a bowl of ramen? He had no idea.

And was she – he choked. The bite got stuck in his throat.

He coughed violently.

What the _hell_ was he _doing_? Wondering about what _Naruto_ was doing? He was supposed to wonder where his _brother_ was! Not Naruto! He had left her behind. Just like he had told his team three days ago.

So why was the girl constantly on his mind? She was in his dreams during the night, on his mind during the day...

Irritated with himself, Sasuke dug into his pocket and put money on the counter, violently pushing the bowl away from him, broth sloshing over. He got up from the stool and – _fled_. It was nothing else. He fled his own memories, trying to escape the image of the blue-eyed girl that was haunting him.

"Oi, Sasuke, wait up!" Suigetsu called after him, thoroughly bewildered at the other's behaviour. What the hell was going on?

Sasuke didn't wait for the boy. He wanted to get away from the smell of ramen as quickly as possible. He still tasted it on his tongue, tasted Naruto on his tongue.

What the hell was wrong with him?

He had no idea.

* * *

><p><em>It was his first day in the Ninja Academy. Uchiha Sasuke was excited. His beloved aniki was a strong shinobi and little Sasuke wanted to be just like him. So going to the academy was the first step. Sasuke wanted Itachi to be proud of him. And his father, too.<em>

_Absorbed in his thoughts about his future life as a shinobi of the Leaf, Sasuke didn't see the blonde girl approaching him._

_She sat down in the seat next to him and introduced herself loudly as, "Uzumaki Naruto!"_

_A wide foxy grin was splitting the blonde's face. She was bouncing in her seat from excitement. Her two pigtails were hanging down her back in messy waves; her baby blue eyes sparkled from mischief._

_Her tanned skin was practically glowing and a healthy blush was on her scarred cheeks. He briefly wondered about the whisker-like birthmarks, but was more surprised about the glaring orange of her jumpsuit._

_Sasuke stared at the bubbly blonde in bewilderment. Never before had he met someone as cheerful as this girl. The Uchiha clan was known to be rather cold and emotionless. Sasuke thought of his stoic father and his calm brother. He knew how to act around them._

_But he had absolutely no idea how to respond to this grinning girl._

_So he did the only thing he knew._

_He didn't smile back at her. He didn't take the offered hand. He broke eye contact and turned away from her, facing the front of the class._

_Sasuke frowned. Inwardly he was debating with himself; wondering if this was the correct way to act. _Maybe I should've just told her my name?

_He quickly turned back towards the blonde, his mouth already opened to give her his name, when he saw her reaction._

_The blonde girl, who had introduced herself as Uzumaki Naruto, was slowly letting the offered hand fall back to her side. Her grin faltered. The light in her blue eyes dimmed, her excited bouncing stopped._

_Sasuke took it all in and as she was about to turn her back on him, he murmured, "Uchiha Sasuke."_

_Her blonde head spun back around to face him again and her baby blue eyes met his onyx ones. Her foxy grin was back, wider than ever. Sasuke was sure he could count all of her white teeth, if he had wanted to._

_The young Uchiha had no idea why he felt so compelled to answer her. He had no idea why he felt the urge to smile at the bubbly blonde. _Her grin must be contagious_, Sasuke reasoned. The boy felt a tug at the corner of his mouth. Smiling like this felt unfamiliar to him. _Am I doing this right?

_The sound of sudden laughter made Sasuke blush. The blonde girl dared laughing at him! No one laughed at an Uchiha! At least that's what his father always said._

_The laughter turned into soft chuckles. "Sasuke, smiling is not so hard!" the blonde said warmly, "but you have to lift both corners of your mouth, not only one!"_

_Sasuke looked at her questioningly. He had no idea that he had just given Naruto the very first of his soon-to-be famous lopsided smirks._

_And it would not be the last time he would give his 'first' of anything to this girl. But he had no idea._

_Sasuke watched the small blonde girl in awe._

_The light in the classroom slowly vanished. Everything around the two went black._

_And Sasuke knew the memory was over._

_Sasuke grew; from his six-year-old to his seventeen-year-old self. The girl in front of him stayed the same._

_The grin on her chubby face died. The excited light in her eyes died. Then _she_ died._

_Naruto gasped, clutching a hand over her heart. Sasuke knew what he would see there. His own arm, buried in her chest. The bright orange of her jumpsuit was sprinkled with crimson. Hot blood ran through his fingers and he felt her heart stop._

_Her eyes closed. Naruto was dead._

"_No, Naruto!" he yelled, shaking the blonde. But he knew it was not enough. He was too late. He had killed her._

_Sasuke was killing Naruto every night in his dreams._

_And after he had killed her... the girl would open her eyes again._

"_I _hate_ you, Sasuke!" Hate you... Hate you... Hate you... _

_Accusing eyes. Pained eyes. And oh, the overwhelming hatred in them..._

Sasuke shot up from his bed.

_Fuck._ He ran a hand through his hair. It stuck to his sweaty forehead.

Why? Why did he have to live through this every fucking night? Was this his punishment for abandoning his best friend?

He felt sick. He shouldn't have eaten the ramen.

Ever since Itachi had shown him Naruto's death in the genjutsu, Sasuke was having nightmares about it. They always started as pleasant memories; memories he had assumed to be long forgotten. Or banned from his mind. Then his pleasant dreams turned into nightmares. Always ending in Naruto's death. At his hands.

Was it pathetic to wish that the nightmares wouldn't stop? Because that would also mean that he would stop reliving the pleasant memories of his time with Naruto? _Yes. Pathetic._

Sasuke fell back on the bed, an arm over his eyes.

_Naruto..._

It was not the first time that Sasuke was wondering how everything would have turned out if he had just listened to his best friend and gone home to Konoha with her. Naruto and the others were probably all Chuunin by now. Maybe some of them even Jounin. Was the dobe a jounin already? Sasuke doubted it. Naruto was skilled, yes, but she was also clumsy and loud and, frankly, not the sharpest kunai in the pouch.

Sasuke snorted. _Konoha..._ Would he ever see the village he had grown up in again? Maybe... maybe he could go back...? _After_ he had killed Itachi, of course.

_Maybe... Naruto..._

Oh, how much Sasuke _hated_ the girl.

For weakening his resolve. Over and over again.

For being on his mind. All the time.

For robbing his sleep. Every night.

For making his chest hurt. So much.

For making him regret. The day_ he had left her behind. The day he had chosen revenge over his best friend._

* * *

><p><em><strong>In Konoha:<strong>_

Two months had passed since the successful mission in Wind Country. And once again, ANBU Team Four – also dubbed as 'Team Naruto' – had returned almost unscathed from their latest mission.

"Hokage-sama, ANBU Team Four reporting back from mission," Naruto stepped forward, her Weasel mask covering her face and the hood hiding her sunny hair.

The three boys behind her gave respectful bows to the leader of their village and stood silently behind their captain. Their uniforms were dirty and bloody. The mission had been messier than the ones before and all four of them wanted to get out of their clothes and wash the blood from their bodies. But the mission report came first.

Naruto delivered all necessary information in a firm voice. The boys called it her _captain-voice._ It was remarkable how easily Naruto switched between the young but fierce ANBU captain and the rather innocent teenager.

She finished her oral report and Tsunade ordered her to hand in the written report on the next day. This duty fell to Neji, since Tsunade refused to take anything hand-written from Naruto; much to the girl's chagrin. But her handwriting was so poor that Tsunade had to read it twice or even thrice to decipher the messy letters, and her spelling was full of faults. Naruto had blushed the first time Tsunade had berated her for her writing, but really, no-one could blame her. None of the teachers in the academy had truly taken the time to support the girl or just to correct her mistakes. So she was stuck with the skills of a six-year-old. And Neji was stuck with writing the reports. Not so much to Naruto's chagrin.

"Ne, baa-chan," Naruto drawled, yawning tiredly, throwing all formalities aside. The mission had lasted for five days and they had hardly caught any sleep. "When do we have the next mission?"

Tsunade looked the young shinobi in front of her desk over. They looked like they needed a rest. A small one at least.

"Report back in three days," the Hokage said. Naruto nodded and the four vanished in shunshins, going their separate ways.

Naruto reappeared in her apartment – and immediately felt his presence.

"Itachi," she addressed the man sitting at her table, drinking a cup of tea. This was already his third visit in only two months. The Uchiha seemed to make it a habit to wait for her to return home.

And it had come so far that he made himself tea, drinking from _her_ cup.

Wearily, she checked that the curtains were closed. The apartment was dark.

"What can I do for you tonight?" she joked tiredly, slumping down on the chair opposite from Itachi. She took off the mask that had once belonged to the man in front of her and pushed back the hood to reveal her hair. She felt it was crusted with blood. Scrunching her nose, she realized that she was still sweaty and dirty and smelling like she hadn't bathed in a week. Well, it had been five days.

Itachi smirked at her dishevelled appearance.

"Take a shower while I make you dinner."

Naruto blinked dumbly. "Come again?"

Itachi got up and walked around the table. He gently grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. "You heard me," he only said and smirked, "Besides, you smell."

Blushing indignantly, Naruto muttered under her breath about 'stupid stuck-up Uchihas'. But she went to her bathroom nonetheless, picking up fresh clothes from her dresser on the way and shut the door more forcefully than necessary.

Not ten minutes later, Naruto re-emerged, drying her long hair with an orange towel. Her bare feet left wet footprints on the floor. She was wearing an orange tank top, a relict from her childhood, which was a bit short and ended just above her navel. The grey sweatpants were not her own but Kiba's. She had 'borrowed' them from him on a mission once and had conveniently forgotten to give them back. But hey, they were just super comfy.

Itachi heard her walking towards him and glanced at her from over his shoulder. "Set the table," he ordered and Naruto shook her head, but did as the raven said.

Their relationship was a strange one. Naruto didn't know when she had come to trust Itachi like this, but his frequent nightly visits had turned into something she actually looked forward to. Itachi would provide her with new information, while Naruto updated him on the situation in Konoha. Afterwards they would talk about a lot of things; such as Itachi's time in the ANBU, his favourite missions, or fellow shinobi he couldn't stand. Naruto didn't like to talk about personal things, so she told him of her ANBU missions, too, new jutsus she had learned, or she just listened and didn't say anything.

Itachi cooking for her was something new, though. But not unpleasant at all. She had had the last hot meal two days ago and if Itachi hadn't shown up tonight, she would have gone to bed without dinner once again.

The table was set and she sat down, waiting for Itachi to place a plate in front of her. He had switched on the lamp hanging over the table, while Naruto had been in the bathroom. The blonde looked at her plate, frowning.

Itachi had taken off his Akatsuki cloak and hung it over the back of his chair. It was the first time Naruto saw him without it.

"It's pasta with tomato sauce," the Uchiha explained, "It's a secret family recipe." He winked.

"Tomatoes?" Naruto questioned, a sad smile appeared on her lips. "You know, tomatoes always remind me –"

"– of Sasuke," Itachi finished for her, the same sad smile gracing his lips. "I know. It was his favourite dish. Our mother used to make it for us all the time."

He sighed and his eyes seemed to look inwards for a moment, while he remembered his childhood. Before the massacre.

Naruto swallowed. _Tomatoes._ She could picture Sasuke in her head, biting into a round, red tomato. She would laugh at him for his love for the red vegetables. Or was it fruits? She had no idea. Sasuke had always corrected her. And in turn glared at her for only eating ramen. He had never agreed to trying ramen. He had been so stubborn about it. Even at Ichiraku's during lunch with Team Seven, Sasuke was the only one not eating anything because he refused to try the salty noodles his rival loved so much. So in turn, Naruto had been just as stubborn and never actually tried a tomato. Even when Sasuke had offered one to her. And Sasuke rarely offered anything to anyone.

But no, Naruto wouldn't try tomatoes unless Sasuke tried ramen.

So what now? Was she going to cling to an old rivalry? Not trying the meal Itachi had prepared for her, just because Sasuke had been too stubborn to eat ramen?

Naruto chuckled softly, shaking her head. No. The time of their rivalry was gone. Hell, even the time of their friendship or any bond at all was gone.

Bemused, Naruto snorted. She picked up her chop-sticks and aimed for a piece of tomato. Eyeing the red fruit – _or vegetable, whatever_ – she placed it on her tongue.

Itachi watched the young woman go through some internal fight, but finally eating. Anxiously, he waited for her reaction.

"Wow," she mumbled between bites, "this is really good!"

Why had she so vehemently refused to try this during their childhood? Tomatoes were really not that bad. Actually, she liked the taste. Besides, it reminded her of Sasuke.

Itachi smiled at the childish display, but also figured that the girl must be quite hungry after just returning from a mission.

They finished their meal in silence. Naruto sighed tiredly and placed her elbow on the table, supporting her head with her hand. She looked up at the raven and smiled.

"Thanks, Itachi," she said genuinely, "You're the first person to ever only cook for me."

Well, technically, Kakashi had cooked for her several times already during the time she had stayed at his place, but this was something else.

Itachi's onyx eyes widened a fraction in surprise. That had not been his motivation, but he was glad that he had managed to make her happy. The girl had grown on him surprisingly quickly. People who knew Itachi, would never call him a social person. But he felt strangely at ease with this straight-forward girl. He could clearly see now, why Sasuke considered her his best friend.

Which brought him to the reason for his late-night visit.

* * *

><p><em><strong>At the same time in River Country, close to the border of Wind Country:<strong>_

Karin was listlessly eating her rice. They had made camp for the night close to a small fishing village. They had travelled a vast distance in the last two months since they had been in Lightning Country.

Sasuke was more restless than ever and when he wasn't training and working himself close to unconsciousness every evening, they roamed the Elemental Nations; on a constant search for Uchiha Itachi.

Karin prayed to Kami that Juugo and Suigetsu would return from their trip to the small village with some news on Sasuke's criminal brother.

As if Kami had heard her unspoken words, the bushes behind the redhead rustled and her two team mates stepped into the camp.

Sasuke looked up from his untouched bowl of rice, expectantly.

Suigetsu slumped down close to the fire and Juugo joined him. The water-boy helped himself to some rice and looked at it with the same distaste that could be seen on all other faces.

He felt his boss's glare on him and sighed. "Man, I hate rice," he whined, knowing very well that he was tempting Sasuke's patience.

Humouring the raven, Juugo opened his mouth and spoke in his gentle voice, "There were news on the Akatsuki."

Sasuke's face remained blank, no hint whether he was interested or not. But his team knew that the boy was indeed more than interested in any news on the organisation his brother belonged to.

"Man, Sasuke, we had to talk to some really shady people to get this information," Suigetsu whined again. Next to him, Karin snorted at his comment about 'shady people'. She definitely counted Team Taka to the category of 'shady people'.

"The townspeople didn't know anything, but we met this guy in a bar and he apparently knew this guy, who knew those other people, who knew something and –"

"Get to the point, Suigetsu," Sasuke warned lowly.

"Erm, right. So rumour has it that two members of the Akatsuki were killed in Wind Country. Two months ago. But there were no signs of battle and no witnesses. And nobody knows, who killed them."

Sasuke thought about it for a moment. He knew who the members of Akatsuki were; thanks to Orochimaru being a former member. The Snake Sannin hated the organisation nearly as much as he hated Konoha and had often made snide comments about them.

"Did he say which members were killed?" the raven asked.

"Yeah, Sasori and Deidara," Suigetsu replied, not really knowing anything about these two, but he was sure that Sasuke could make use of the names.

Sasuke shrugged. Unimportant. "Anything else?" _Any news on Itachi?_

Suigetsu felt the need to take his eyes off his boss and just shook his head. No news on Itachi. As per usual.

Sasuke's scowled and Karin felt the darkness in his chakra raising its head.

She contemplated their situation. They had been travelling together for a little over half a year now. And they had not even come close to finding Itachi in all this time. Was the older Uchiha really so good at hiding? Or did he actually keep track of their own movements? Purposefully going where they were not?

Karin found that explanation more likely with every day. Itachi must know that his little brother was out to kill him. Karin saw the reason for the older one to avoid Sasuke. She would certainly do the same in his place. And apparently, Itachi didn't have a death wish just yet. So they would probably keep chasing him until they were old and grey.

Karin sweat-dropped at her own depressive thoughts. At first, she had been so happy that Sasuke had _chosen _her and taken her with him on his quest. Suigetsu constantly teased her about her too obvious crush on the Uchiha. And frankly, she saw that maybe she was seeing the dark boy through rose-coloured glasses.

Sasuke was troubled, even unstable at times. The darkness around him was growing with every passing day. It was only a matter of time until the Uchiha's unpredictability became dangerous to the people around him.

What would they do then? She really hoped that they found his brother soon. Sasuke could kill him and finally get his revenge. And then...

_And then?_

Karin's eyes widened in sudden confusion, which caused her glasses to slide down on her nose. Impatiently, she pushed them back up and her head snapped up to look at Sasuke.

The raven was staring into the dancing flames of their camp fire, obviously lost in his own thoughts.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun?" she asked hesitantly. There was no reaction, so she called his name again, a bit louder this time.

He lifted his head, black eyebrows languidly raised in question.

"Sasuke-kun, I was wondering..." she trailed off, but seeing his relatively calm gaze transform into an impatient glare, she quickly continued. "What are we going to do once you killed Itachi?"

The redhead made sure to phrase her words in a way that didn't reveal her personal doubts about ever actually finding the older Uchiha, let alone Sasuke killing him.

The younger Uchiha's glare transformed into a thoughtful frown. He had been entertaining the idea of returning to Konoha since the ramen incident in Lightning Country two months ago. But it still was only a thought, a nice idea. He couldn't return until they had found Itachi.

He had left his home with one goal. Revenge.

His decision was weighing heavy on his heart. But he knew what he needed to do to find peace. At least, he hoped that fulfilling his revenge was what would make his mind find peace.

Karin's question went unanswered.

Sasuke knew that speaking his idea of going back to Konoha out loud, would only further weaken his already dwindling resolve.

* * *

><p><em><strong>In Konoha, Naruto's apartment:<strong>_

The blonde sighed and ran a hand through her still wet hair. She had known the day to fulfil her promise to Itachi would come eventually. But hearing it out of his mouth was making it seem so... final.

She had tried to prepare herself for the day to go rescue Sasuke by trying to ban her former best friend from her mind. It had clearly failed. She was not prepared.

Naruto was grateful for the fact that Itachi had said it would still be some weeks until he would send for her to come for Sasuke. So she had another 'some weeks' to mentally prepare herself for the dreaded confrontation.

She rolled her tense shoulders and looked up at the older raven, who was still sitting at her kitchen table. Itachi was looking at her, apologetically. But she had promised and everyone knew that... that Uzumaki Naruto never went back on her word. _That's my stupid nindo._

They sat in silence. Naruto's tea grew cold, but she didn't mind. She had lost her appetite anyway. After hearing the other news Itachi had had for her.

As troubled as she felt, her eyelids became heavy and eventually she felt her eyes droop close. She barely heard how Itachi pushed back his chair and walked around the table to gently lift her up.

Naruto was too exhausted after the mission and the conversation with Itachi, both physically and mentally, to care about being carried to bed like a child – by a man she had once considered one of her greatest enemies, no less. Not that she could actually make the connection, since no-one had ever been there to carry her to bed when she head been little.

Itachi carefully placed the half-sleeping girl on the unmade bed. The raven smiled at her still form, as he tucked her in. The last person he had tucked in like that had been his little brother. The smile on his lips faltered, a look of pure sadness and regret in his onyx eyes.

_Soon, little brother. We will safe you soon, just wait,_ Itachi thought as he listened to Naruto's regular breathing.

* * *

><p><em>(1) <em>_Kamui: _Using the ability granted to him by his _Mangekyō Sharingan_, Kakashi can create a barrier sending everything within its vicinity to another dimension. He can also control the size of the barrier.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading, first of all! I hope you liked to get some news on Sasuke!<strong>

**Chapter 13 turned out to have over 13k words and it wasn't even completely finished yet... so I had to split it up at this point. I told some of you that Naruto and Sasuke will meet again in Chap 15... so that's now Chap 16! But that's my final word now! So, NARUTO AND SASUKE meet again in CHAPTER 16 !**

**But major things are going to happen in the next two chapters before that!**

**Since I actually wrote chapters 13 and 14 as one, chapter 14 is almost finished. So I'm hoping to update again before Christmas. But I can't make promises, because I actually have to study.**

**I kind of dislike using the cliché of Sasuke having nightmares... but I planned it like this from the start, so he's stuck with them. For now.**

**Tell me how you liked it, please! I was kind of wondering, whether you're losing interest in this, since there have been 10k+ hits on this story since the last update, but I'm getting less and less feedback...**

**There are already some important hints in this chapter... I never write anything without a reason, as unimportant as it seems...**

_**Next chapter: What is Naruto hiding from her team mates? And why is she so irritated?**_

**Oh and is anyone reading the latest chapters of the manga? If not, then skip this paragraph! _Spoilers_! **But am I the only one wondering where the hell Madara/Tobi/No-One/Whoever that guy is nowadays is getting all the Rinnegan and Sharingan from? Seriously, does he have some kind of secret rinnegan factory? I thought these eyes were like super rare...

**Have a nice Christmas time, hopefully less stressful than my own! :)**

**xXHaneliXx**

**P.S.: _Story Recommendation:_**_ There's a really sweet Modern AU FemNaru story called _**_'My Treat' by 'mynameisweird'. _**_It's a three chapter story and totally worth reading! It's definitely one of my favourites; wonderfully written and different from the other FemNaru stories. I won't tell you too much about it, since there's a major twist at the end of the first chapter! So if you check it out, DO NOT READ THE REVIEWS BEFOREHAND! _


	14. Chapter 14

**The author says:** _Seriously, over 35 reviews for the last chapter?_ I am still more than stunned, thank you all so much! And because you've been spoiling me like that, I managed to squeeze in some writing time and finish chapter 14. Which went quicker than I had anticipated, because it was almost finished already and also because all your support encouraged me tremendously!

I'm sorry if I didn't reply to each review, but I don't really have a lot of time right now! I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

Please enjoy the very last chapter for this year, it's a long one, I hope that appeases you!

You know the drill ;) Tell me what you think! I'm a bit anxious about the ending...

**I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><strong>'He had no idea'<strong>

**Chapter 14**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Regrets collect like old friends<br>Here to relive your darkest moments  
><strong>**I can see no way, I can see no way**_  
><em><strong>And all of the ghouls come out to play<strong>_

_**And every demon wants his pound of flesh**_  
><em><strong>But I like to keep some things to myself<strong>_  
><em><strong>I like to keep my issues strong<strong>_  
><em><strong>It's always darkest before the dawn<strong>_

_**And I've been a fool and I've been blind**_  
><em><strong>I can never leave the past behind<strong>_  
><em><strong>I can see no way, I can see no way<strong>_  
><em><strong>I'm always dragging that horse around<strong>_

**'Shake It Out' by Florence and The Machine**

* * *

><p>Naruto awoke before sunrise the next morning. Her apartment was dark and there was no sign of Itachi's presence. The Uchiha had left. Just like he always just vanished and returned whenever he found the chance to sneak away from the Akatsuki. She never knew when she would see him again... only now... she knew that the next time she would see him, it was to go after Sasuke...<p>

As much as she was normally looking forward to Itachi's visits, the blonde suddenly wished she would never see him again. If that would mean she wouldn't have to face Sasuke. And her own fears.

Naruto switched on the lamp on her nightstand and squinted her eyes against the sudden brightness. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and glanced at the alarm clock. 5:28 am. She hadn't caught more than four hours of sleep. Nonetheless, the girl got up for her daily morning routine. She rarely slept in and used the early hours of the morning for training.

Dressed in shorts and a belly top, she closed the door behind her as she left the apartment. She started running as soon as she stepped onto the street and began her laps around the village. She reminded herself very much of Gai and Lee, but she had come to value the quiet hours of the early morning. The streets were empty except for shinobi on duty. They greeted her and followed her running form with tired eyes, wondering how the girl had the energy to run so early when all they could think of was the end of their shift.

The long ponytail swayed behind her back, brushing the naked skin of her arms and midriff with every step. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the fresh air that filled her lungs.

The villagers had become more or less used to her presence again. Still, some of them shot her hateful looks, but most of them had learned that it was better to just ignore the blonde Jinchuuriki. Her rather uncontrolled killing intent had scared most of them off. And while Naruto was a bit apprehensive of making the villagers afraid of her, she was also grateful that they left her alone for the biggest part of the day.

There were still shop-owners and even restaurants, who refused her entry. But Naruto just avoided those. Nobody had tried beating her up. _Yet_, she added cynically.

Eventually, her thoughts returned to what Itachi had told her yesterday night. It had not been solely about Sasuke, but also about one of her fellow Jinchuuriki. The Akatsuki had managed to capture Nii Yugito, container of the Two-Tailed Demon Cat, the Nibi. Naruto shook her head in regret while running.

Of course, she had made Tsunade send word to the other Hidden Villages with Jinchuuriki about the threat the Akatsuki posed to them. Except for Sunagakure and Gaara, all had answered that Konohagakure was overreacting. And now one of them had lost her life, because the Raikage had been too arrogant to accept help from Fire Country.

Hopefully, Kumogakure would now realize that the Akatsuki was indeed a threat. Lightning Country had another Jinchuuriki, the container of the Eight-Tails, the Hachibi. Apparently, he was the Raikage's brother. Maybe the Raikage would contact Konoha again, in order to protect his brother.

The Jinchuuriki in Kumo – she thought his name was Kirabi, but wasn't sure, Itachi had only mentioned him once; she would have to check her scrolls again – Gaara and Naruto were the only 'free' Jinchuuriki left. The Akatsuki had already managed to capture – and hence kill – the other six.

Naruto made a mental note to tell Tsunade to contact the Raikage again. She was sure that the man was more willing to cooperate now.

The blonde ran her twelfth lap around the village, taking in the soothing sight of the red sun that lazily crept over the horizon. Naruto inwardly prayed that she wouldn't run into Lee and Gai-sensei this morning. She wasn't in the mood to endure their endless shouts of youth and whatnot this morning. It left her time to think freely and nobody would question the scowl that had settled on her face once more.

She finished after twenty laps and jogged back to her apartment, looking forward to a shower. As she entered her apartment, though, her eyes fell on the coffee table. Someone had rammed a kunai into the wooden surface, attaching a note to it.

Naruto cursed Itachi for further demolishing her already shabby furniture and angrily pulled the kunai free and took the note. Blue eyes scanned the paper and a smile spread over her lips. It was the recipe for the meal they had had the night before. Pasta and tomatoes.

Since her cooking skills were still non-existent, she doubted that she would manage to prepare the meal. But Itachi knew that she was helpless in the kitchen and therefore had scribbled down every single step. Kami, Naruto even saw how he explained how to boil water. She rolled her eyes and grinned. It would probably turn out disastrous, but he had made such an effort and now she felt like she owed it to him to at least _try _cooking this.

But not now; now she needed a shower and then head over to ANBU headquarters. Her team mates always took the first day after a mission to relax and catch up with their families. Naruto accepted it and let them rest. But that didn't mean she couldn't train.

So she trained with the other ANBU at HQ. If Anko wasn't on a mission, the woman loved to spar with Naruto, always going all out. The blonde enjoyed training with the ANBU a lot; it was always more aggressive, more intense and more exhausting than 'normal' training.

* * *

><p>Six hours later found a panting Naruto taking needy gulps from her water bottle. Her hair stuck to her forehead and neck. She had long discarded the metal breast plate of her ANBU uniform, leaving her in only the black undershirt. The Kyuubi's red chakra was billowing around her right thigh, healing a deep cut she had received from her opponent.<p>

Said opponent was currently being healed by a medic-nin, one of his team mates. Naruto had broken his arm and leg with one of her more advanced Futon Jutsus.

A tall ANBU with a Cat mask approached Naruto. She had noticed him watching her spar with the other shinobi. And also the spar before with Anko. He took off his mask as he came closer and revealed dark, almond-shaped eyes; his silver forehead protector framed his face on both sides.

Naruto nodded in greeting. Here in ANBU, his code name was Tenzou; outside he was known as Yamato. He had been one of the shinobi assigned to testing her for the position of ANBU captain by Tsunade.

Tenzou often watched over her training. No-one had assigned him to it officially, but Naruto guessed that Tsunade as well as Kakashi had asked him to keep an eye on her whenever she was messing with more high-level techniques or doing all-out spars. Over the last month Naruto had often shown signs of using the Kyuubi's chakra.

Most of the times, it was unintentional. The more advanced the technique and the more chakra Naruto needed to mould, the harder it became for her to suppress the demon's energy. It started with her eyes, every time. Slitted pupils, blue changing to crimson. Next came her whisker-marks and teeth; then her claws and the last sign of the Kyuubi's influence was the manifestation of the red chakra around her body.

Whenever that would happen, Tenzou would restrain Naruto with his Mokuton Jutsu and force the Fox's power back into the seal. It left Naruto panting and weak for some moments, since it took a great amount of her own chakra, too.

So far, the manifestation of the tails had occurred six times. The second time, Tenzou had not been present and her team mates had to use a chakra suppression sealing tag on her. Naruto had provided the three boys with a good amount of the sealing tags, for that they could intervene in case she wouldn't be able to fight the Kyuubi back on her own.

"Naruto-san," Tenzou said, shaking her out of her reverie, "That was an impressive fight." She knew that he was talking about the fact that not once during the fight had she shown signs of the Kyuubi's influence.

It was like that; some days, Naruto could hear the demon whispering in her mind, all day long; then again days passed and it felt like the demon wasn't there at all.

Naruto blinked up at him, surprised about the compliment. Reflexively, her hand reached up and started rubbing her neck sheepishly. She would probably never stop doing that.

"Um, thanks, Tenzou-senpai. But it was only a spar, you know," she muttered. Saying, that it hadn't been such a feat to suppress the evil chakra today.

A heavy clap on her back made her choke on the water she was drinking.

"Ha, Tenzou," Anko's loud voice chimed in. "Told ya that girl is brilliant! She was trained by the best, after all," she added with a wink and a self-satisfied grin.

"And by 'the best' I assume you are referring to yourself, Anko-san?" Tenzou asked friendly.

Anko agreed enthusiastically and decidedly ignored Naruto's comment about how Anko had only trained her for four weeks. Tenzou threw the blonde a knowing look and then continued to listen to Anko's boasting.

Naruto rolled her eyes at her purple-haired friend. It was funny how different life was within the walls of the ANBU HQ. There was nobody, who sent nasty looks Naruto's way or resented her for being the Kyuubi's host.

It had not been like that when she had first arrived at the HQ, but slowly Naruto had managed to gain the other ninjas' respect. They saw how she pushed herself during training, saw her dedication and her strength. Naruto was currently the youngest captain in the ANBU and many of the more experienced fighters thought she was not ready for the job. After what had happened with Itachi, they had become very apprehensive about young recruits in high positions.

Some had challenged her, trying to put her back in her place. And even though Naruto didn't win against any of them in the beginning, they saw her getting up every time she was beaten; saw how she gave her very best, even in a mere spar. Soon, the others came and offered her advice, helped her with her training or just talked to her.

Hearing about her team's battle against the Akatsuki in Suna had swayed even the last of Naruto's critics. While the regular shinobi forces of Konoha had no idea about what her team was doing, rumours had spread like a wildfire within the ANBU troops. Since there was no need to deny what they had achieved, Kiba told anyone who wanted to hear about it. And a good battle story was something every ANBU just loved to hear. Kiba's boasting added to their increasingly high reputation.

With growing respect for Naruto's team, also the respect for the young Jinchuuriki grew and Naruto felt more and more comfortable at the HQ. But today her mood was subdued; the knowledge of the inevitable confrontation with Sasuke was still on her mind.

She was grateful for the distraction as Kiba walked out of the HQ building and onto the training grounds.

"Oi, taichou," he called out to her, once again managing to make the formal address for captain sound like a mocking nickname. He walked over to her and frowned down at her. "You've been here all the time?"

Naruto just shrugged in answer.

"Idiot, we've been waiting for you! You were supposed to meet us for lunch, remember?"

Naruto's blue eyes widened and it became clear to Kiba that the girl had once again completely forgotten about the world around her while training. It was not the first time. Her team mates should be used to it by now.

"Geez, Naru," Kiba sighed and grabbed her arm, pulling her into the building. He ignored her protests. "Come on, you've been here all day and you need to get ready for tonight."

At her lack of reaction and the quizzical look on her face, he knew that the blonde had forgotten about tonight as well. "Ino's party?" he reminded her dryly.

"Ah, sure," she quickly said, only then remembering. Ino had finished her time as an apprentice in the Torture and Interrogation Force and was now a Special Jounin. On that occasion, she was throwing a big party and had invited half of Konoha.

It was already late afternoon and the party would start at eight. She had approximately three hours to get ready. More than enough for Naruto. But before she had to see Tsunade.

Kiba walked her home. It was a stupid habit the guys had developed. They had become over-protective of their captain since they had witnessed the villagers' reaction towards her some months ago. So whenever they had the time, they accompanied her.

"What's wrong, taichou?" Kiba asked, glancing at the blonde from the corner of his slitted eyes.

"Nothing," was the too quick reply.

"Naruto, I can smell it on you. Something is clearly bothering you."

_Stupid Kiba and his stupid nose. _"They caught the Nibi Jinchuuriki." Naruto didn't need to elaborate who 'they' were. There was only one group who was after the demon containers.

Kiba nodded grimly. "Itachi?" he just asked, wanting to know where Naruto got that information from. He saw her nod next to him.

"So there's only three left now," the Inuzuka stated and immediately cursed himself, as the girl next to him visibly flinched. Of course Naruto would be worried about these news.

They arrived at Naruto's apartment and he turned to the smaller girl. He gently placed his large hand on her shoulder. "We will stop them before they get anyone else, Naru," he assured her quietly.

Naruto gazed up at him, grim and worried. She appreciated Kiba's gesture, knowing very well that the Inuzuka was usually the most inept at things like this. She felt bad for keeping the other reason for her worry from him, but she couldn't make herself say it. It would make it more real. And it was already real enough for her. Only some weeks away.

Forcing herself to grin, she muttered a lame "Thanks," and Kiba let his hand fall from her shoulder.

"You come pick me up for the party later?" Naruto asked.

Suddenly, Kiba blushed and he looked to the ground, finding great interest in his sandals. He mumbled something, but even Naruto's sensitive ears didn't catch it. Finding his sudden change in mood very disturbing – Kiba was so not the type to blush and be shy – she poked him in the chest, prompting him to repeat himself.

"I'm going with Hinata," he muttered very uncharacteristically.

Naruto frowned, confused, and not getting it at all. "So what? We can pick her up together then," she said, puzzled.

Kiba looked up again and rolled his eyes. Naruto was kind of dense when it came to things like this. "No, Naruto. I asked her to go to the party with me." He explained carefully and looked at Naruto expectantly, waiting for her to catch up.

She blinked. Frowned. Opened her mouth.

Then her eyes widened in sudden understanding. "Oooooh," she made and a cheeky grin appeared on her face. The blonde wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and Kiba barked a laugh at the sight. "So it's like a _date?_" she whispered excitedly.

Kiba grinned, gone was his momentary shyness. "Sure it is!" he winked. "And stop whispering. It's not a secret, ya know."

Naruto's grin only widened. She was genuinely happy for her team mate.

Kiba turned to leave. Remembering something, he looked back at her over his shoulder. "Ino said to remind you to wear something nice."

Naruto's grin fell and she frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't know, dude," Kiba said, walking away, "You're the girl here."

"Then stop calling me 'dude'," she muttered, irritated. Realizing Kiba was not stopping, she called after him, "Oi, dog-breath, wait!" But he was gone and Naruto left alone with her lack of fashion sense.

* * *

><p>A second freezing shower – thanks to the still broken heating in her apartment – later, Naruto entered the Hokage's office through the open window, making Tsunade jump. The older woman cursed her gaki under her breath, but fell silent, as she saw Naruto closing the window behind her. She only did that when they needed to talk privately.<p>

Naruto unceremoniously flopped down on the chair in front of the desk. Tsunade immediately sensed that something was wrong. Her shoulders were too tense, the scowl on her brow too deep.

"They caught the Nibi Jinchuuriki in Kumogakure," Naruto came straight to the point. Better get this over with quickly.

"When?" Tsunade simply asked, knowing very well not to test Naruto's patience when she was in a mood like this.

"Some days ago."

The Hokage suppressed the sad look that crept into her eyes. Naruto hated that look; being pitied by others. But Tsunade couldn't help but feel for the girl she called her daughter. Naruto was obviously shaken by the news of the other Jinchuuriki's death.

"So now there are only –"

"– three left. Yes, I _know_!" Naruto snapped harshly.

Tsunade's eyes widened at her behaviour. Naruto ran a weary hand over her closed eyes and exhaled tiredly. Tsunade got the feeling that there was something else bothering the young woman. She was a tad too aggressive for this to 'merely' be about the Nibi container. However, Tsunade's rare motherly instincts told her to better not press the subject.

Naruto gave a weak apology for talking to the older woman like that, but Tsunade just shrugged it off. It wasn't like she took any offence in it.

"Send a messenger to Kumogakure. Maybe the Raikage will listen to our warnings now," Naruto said and got an approving nod from the Hokage. She regarded the younger blonde calmly, inwardly chuckling at how Naruto was giving orders to the Hokage so easily.

She waited some more moments before speaking, in case the girl wanted to talk about what else was troubling her. But Tsunade didn't expect Naruto to address it on her own. She knew how she was; always bottling up her emotions.

Tsunade wanted to comfort the girl somehow, but as she opened her mouth to say something, Naruto got up, effectively shutting her up.

"Tell me when you hear anything from Kumo," Naruto said, walking to the window; not even waiting for confirmation.

Tsunade stared at the open window, hoping that whatever was causing Naruto's bad mood would soon solve itself.

Sadly, she had no idea that it was only going to be worse.

* * *

><p>Five minutes to eight, a knock sounded at Naruto's front door. She recognized Neji and Shikamaru's chakra signatures and called an "It's open!" from out of her bathroom. The Hyuuga opened the door and entered. "Did Kiba send you?"<p>

"Yes, he said you were in need of company," the brunette confirmed calmly and waited for Naruto to mouth her denial. But it never came. Neji's pale eyes narrowed slightly, sharing a look with Shikamaru. Maybe Kiba had been right about Naruto acting weird.

"Guys, do I look okay?" Naruto asked insecurely as she stepped out of the bathroom. She spread her arms and looked rather unhappy, standing in the middle of her small apartment.

Shikamaru took a quick look at her. "Troublesome."

A soft smile played on Neji's lips. "You look _lovely,_ Naruto-san."

"Lovely?" she questioned, looking down at herself. "I don't think anyone's ever called me _lovely..._" she muttered, not sure whether it was good or not.

Neji silently watched the blonde girl tugging uncomfortably at her dress. It was white and light blue with short sleeves, just long enough to hide her ANBU tattoo. The neckline was nothing daring; Naruto always made sure that the star-shaped scar over her heart was covered. The bodice hugged her slender form nicely and ended in a loose skirt, falling down from her waist until mid-thigh.

The two brunettes had never seen anything like this on Naruto. Thinking back, they didn't think they had ever seen her in a dress at all during the academy days. The light blue complimented her eyes and the white made her tanned skin stand out. Her long blonde hair fell down her back in soft waves.

"Don't you like it, Naruto-san?" Neji's gentle voice asked.

Naruto looked up. "I don't know. I guess I'm just not used to wearing dresses," she admitted. "Jiraiya got this for me when we were travelling. Two years ago... I've never worn it before..."

She sighed, trying to get used to the swinging skirt. "Don't you think it's a bit short?" she blurted, staring at her male friends for an answer.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, wondering what he had gotten himself into. Fashion was definitely not included in the genius's repertoire. The pineapple-haired Nara was wearing a dark shirt and blue pants, nothing special, but more formal than his usual shinobi garbs.

Neji was more suited to give fashion advice. Or so Shikamaru thought, since the older male was always wearing the formal robes of the Hyuuga clan. Seeing Naruto's slightly desperate face, Shikamaru took pity on her.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and drawled lazily, "Naruto, let me remind you, that your usual attire consists of considerably less cloth on the upper part and a lot more leather on the lower part. So stop worrying about showing some leg. Troublesome woman."

Neji coughed politely; silently agreeing with the Nara. For once, Naruto looked more than a woman than a fighter. And a beautiful, womanly young woman at that.

Naruto stared at the two, mulling Shikamaru's argument over. She snorted, shrugged and then nervously scratched the back of her head.

Shikamaru smirked in amusement, as Naruto put on her dark ninja sandals. Okay, so that reduced the image of the 'woman Naruto, who looked more a woman than a fighter' a bit. But it probably couldn't be helped.

At least she didn't put on her ANBU combat boots.

"Come on, Naruto-san," the Hyuuga friendly reminded his captain, "You know how Ino is. Let's not be late."

Naruto rolled her eyes at the comment on Ino. Her fellow blonde would be furious if they were late. She had planned this whole evening for some time and was really proud that she had successfully been promoted.

As the three walked through the dark streets towards the Yamanaka residence, Naruto was very quiet. Neji's pale eyes had long taken notice of the girl's tense shoulders, her tight jaw and the scowl that had appeared on her face as soon as the fashion issues had been solved.

Naruto was still not as lively as back in her childhood, but she had opened up again. More and more during the time with her team. She was still quieter and more serious, but had regained some of her old cheekiness. She had even started pulling pranks again; with Kiba as both her partner in crime and victim. Still, it was only a mere fraction of the former liveliness that had surrounded her once.

Neji watched her and waited for her to talk. He knew that Naruto couldn't stand his pale stares for long. Eventually, she would talk. Shikamaru glanced at the girl in their midst, waiting for her patience to run out.

"Stop staring, Neji!" she eventually complained, not looking at either of them.

Shikamaru lit a cigarette, which earned him a very pointed glare from Naruto. She hated his unhealthy habit and made no secret of her disapproval. When they were on duty, she could forbid him to smoke; since she was his captain. But not now.

Both boys saw her fumbling with the hem of her dress. Some moments later, she sighed, defeated. "I guess Kiba told you about the Nibi Jinchuuriki?"

She saw both heads nod from the corner of her eyes, but she didn't say anything else. They walked in silence again.

Neji kept staring at the younger girl with his unnerving pale eyes. He saw that something else was up. She didn't even have to say anything. He just _saw_ it. Like he always saw when something was up with her. Was she still that easy to read? _Stupid Hyuugas and their creepy eyes._

Naruto felt increasingly irritated about Neji's concerned stare. Kami, she hated it when everyone was worried about her. When had her team mates gained the ability to read her moods like an open book? Kiba _smelled_ her worries, Neji _saw_ her distress and Shikamaru... Well, the genius just _knew._ It was kind of creepy, actually.

Debating with herself, Naruto's scowl deepened and she felt Neji's gaze leave her. At least he knew when to better leave her alone.

Shikamaru on the other hand, whacked her over the head with his flat hand. She rubbed her head, glaring up at her team mate. She knew what it was for. The gesture said as much as 'stop being stupid' and 'we're here for you to talk to'.

Naruto huffed and decidedly ignored both males. She was glad when they arrived some minutes later. Ino greeted them enthusiastically, too loudly and too happy for Naruto's current liking. The bleach-blonde's smile faltered a bit at Naruto's scowl.

Naruto saw Ino's reaction and immediately gave her one of her best fake smiles and hugged the taller girl back, hoping that it was enough to cover her increasingly foul mood.

Ino's squeal of "Naruto, you look _lovely_!" didn't help much, either. Naruto felt her eye twitch. She grinned weakly in thanks and new she had failed to fool the new Jounin, when Ino's eyes flickered to Neji and Shikamaru, silently questioning them what was wrong.

To Naruto's luck, Kiba and Hinata arrived just then and Ino was squealing about how cute they looked together. Naruto saw Hinata blush furiously and Kiba grinned wolfishly, one arm over the heiress's shoulders.

Naruto turned away from the others and walked into the huge living room that had been nicely decorated by Ino. A banner said 'Congratulations, Ino-chan!' in bright purple letters. Probably from her proud parents. Naruto felt a sharp pang of jealousy.

She was forced to take the eyes off it, when a familiar chakra signature invaded her personal space. Had it been anyone else, she'd probably have started growling by now.

A glass was shoved into her hand. "Drink up!" she was ordered. But she just stared questioningly at the purple fluid in the glass. It looked poisonous and reminded her too much of the poison used by a certain missing-nin from Sunagakure.

"It's fine, gaki, just drink it. You'll feel better afterwards."

Believing the deep, slightly gruff voice, she downed the glass. The heat of the definitely alcoholic beverage filled her stomach. "Why is it purple?" she asked, tasting the last drops on her tongue.

"Don't know. Everything's purple in here."

Naruto's eyes wandered through the room and indeed, Jiraiya was right. Purple was definitely the ruling colour in the room. It reminded her of her own orange apartment.

"I know you're in a bad mood, gaki, but tone it down a bit, will ya?" the Sannin reprimanded her, "Or people are going to be scared."

Naruto snorted mirthlessly, staring into her empty glass. So Jiraiya had picked up on her mood as well. Probably Tsunade had told him about their earlier conversation. The white-haired man ruffled her hair affectionately and Naruto actually felt an annoyed but genuine grin tug at the corner of her lips.

"Nice dress," Jiraiya grinned broadly and winked at his student. "You look _lovely."_

Naruto felt her eye twitch again.

Jiraiya laughed loudly at her deadpan expression. His laughter only grew as Naruto glared up at the tall man and stalked away.

She made her way to the kitchen, where she hoped to find more of the purple punch. Several people greeted her on her way through the house. Tormented by the emotional chaos inside her, Naruto put on a bright smile that was so fake, it hurt in her cheeks to keep it up.

Finally arriving in the kitchen, she successfully spotted the bowl of punch and meant to refill her glass, when Shikamaru took it from her and refilled it for her. Wordlessly, he handed it back to her and raised his own glass to her. They drank up and the brunette refilled their glasses once more.

All the while, the Nara heir kept a close eye on the younger. Being the genius he was, the brunette saw that the small blonde captain was far too upset for it to be solely about the Akatsuki's success of capturing another Jinchuuriki. He was pretty sure it had to do something with Itachi's visit. The Uchiha must've told Naruto something else; something else that affected the girl more greatly than it probably should.

Or it was about the _only thing_ that could affect Naruto in such a way.

And Shikamaru hoped he was wrong. If this was about Sasuke... Shikamaru had hoped that it would still be some time until Naruto had to make good on her promise to Itachi.

He didn't take his eyes off of the blonde as he took the empty glass from her and replaced it with his still full one. "Troublesome woman," he muttered, when Naruto emptied it and glared up at him.

He smirked down at her, ignoring the fierce glare, knowing she wasn't really angry at him. "By the way, Naru," he drawled, teasingly, "You look just _lovely_ tonight."

Naruto dead-panned, the eye twitching violently. A second later her glare returned with doubled force and she shoved her empty glass into Shikamaru's chest. She turned on her heels and stalked away, for the second time that evening.

Shikamaru chuckled, amused at his captain's very obvious discomfort about wearing a dress; silently thinking that the dress did look good on her. It was funny, how the girl didn't even blink an eye when she was covered in blood, but squirmed uncomfortably when she had to put on a dress.

Naruto meanwhile, tried to not let her annoyance show on her face, when yet another male shoved a glass of the purple liquid into her hand. "Drink up! You look like you need it."

"Geez, do you guys want to get me drunk?" she snapped, but obeyed nonetheless. She licked her lips and glared up at Kakashi. She was probably breaking Sasuke's personal glaring high score tonight.

The jounin only eye-smiled merrily at his student. "Ne, Naru, did anyone tell you that –"

"Shut it, Kakashi!" she snapped. Four people complimenting her on her appearance tonight was more than enough. She didn't need to hear how _lovely_ she looked from her perverted sensei as well.

Kakashi's merry eye-smile didn't falter. Instead he added, "I like it when you are bossy like that, Naruto."

Wrong thing to say. Naruto huffed and walked away from him, running straight into Ino. Judging from the red colour on Ino's cheeks, she had probably enjoyed as much of the purple punch as Naruto. But Ino didn't have a personal demon to burn the alcohol from her system.

"Narutooo," she cooed, taking Naruto's hands in hers. Naruto was blinking dumbly, feeling the heat in her stomach crawl over her body; not pleasantly enough, though.

"Tell me, Naruto," Ino whispered, not discreetly at all, "Did Neji and Shikamaru-kun pick you up?" she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Yes," Naruto confirmed slowly; it was kind of obvious, since they had all arrived together.

"So who of the two is your date?" Ino whispered, very eager to get the latest gossip on Naruto's love life. It would be the first gossip on her love life, to be precise. As it was non-existent.

Naruto sweat-dropped. "No, Ino, they just picked me up earlier."

"Like Kiba picked up Hinata?" Ino prompted.

"No, Ino. Not like that."

Ino frowned. "But you two would make such a cute couple," she slurred happily.

Naruto wondered briefly whether Ino was talking about Shikamaru or Neji. But since Shikamaru was with Temari, kind of, Ino must be talking about the Hyuuga. She blushed at the idea of being with Neji like that. But before she could stammer a stupid response, Shikamaru rescued her from their bleach-blonde hostess.

"Ino," he said lazily, "I heard Chouji is looking for you."

Ino's face lit up and she quickly scanned the room for her old team mate. Spotting him, she quickly rushed over to him, leaving Naruto and Shikamaru behind.

Shikamaru handed his captain yet another glass of punch, eyeing her intently. He really felt the urge to somehow comfort her, lift the weight on her shoulders. But now was not the time. She was already scowling again under his scrutinizing gaze.

Some hours and several glasses later, Naruto was listening to her perverted sensei, talking about how his newest porn book was coming along. The white-haired Sannin had one arm flung around Tsunade's shoulders, holding her close against his side.

Naruto's foul mood lifted a bit at the sight of them. She was genuinely happy for the two Sannin, that she considered family. Tsunade was blushing like a schoolgirl in Jiraiya's arms, as the tall man affectionately pecked her on the lips. The blonde Hokage swatted her lover's arms away, mumbling something that sounded like, "Not in public!".

Jiraiya threw his young student a look, reprimanding her for her dark expression. He ruffled her blonde hair again, but didn't say anything. Tsunade was slurring, telling Naruto to loosen up. Naruto rolled her blue eyes for what felt like the thousandth time that night.

She left the two older people standing and walked over to Kakashi. Soon, his comments about her dress made Naruto's mood go further downhill and she told him to shut the hell up. Her sensei immediately sobered up a bit and his single dark eye hardened.

"You're not enjoying yourself," he remarked.

Naruto snorted. She felt very sarcastic tonight. "Sure I am, see," she said, lifting her punch glass, "I'm drinking purple punch, I'm socializing, I even danced a bit." She threw him a look. "I'm _totally _enjoying myself."

Sadness and concern flickered through Kakashi's eye at hearing her words. Shikamaru had warned him earlier that something was bothering the girl, but he had not expected it to be this bad. He didn't like cynical Naruto one bit.

The blonde saw Kakashi's change in demeanour and knew she shouldn't have said that. It was childish and only further giving her friends a reason to be worried about her. She sighed and emptied her glass. Placing it on a nearby table, she muttered a half-hearted apology to Kakashi and told him she would go home now.

Almost to the front door, her team mates stopped her. The three brunettes just looked at their female captain and waited for her to say anything. They wanted to know why she was so overly testy today.

Naruto closed her eyes, exasperated. Thanks to Kyuubi, the alcohol in her system wasn't nearly as soothing as she would have liked; it helped nothing to ease her mind. Instead, the fact that the demon wasn't even allowing her a night of indulgence, only annoyed her further. Today was really not a good day.

"Guys," she sighed, forcing herself to sound calm, "I'm leaving. Let me through."

"Naruto, you are –" Kiba started, but was cut off.

"I'm _what_? In a bad mood? Irritated? Worried? Angry?" she glared up at them. "So maybe I am! Now let me leave."

The three shared a worried look.

"I'll walk you home," Shikamaru offered. And immediately realized that maybe he should have said nothing at all.

Naruto felt it was getting very hard to remain friendly. "Can you just stop babying me for at least _one fucking day_?" she hissed. "And stop looking at me like _that_!"

The blonde pushed her way through them. Too stunned at her aggressive tone, they let her go. The door slammed shut behind her.

Kiba ran a hand through his shaggy hair and exhaled slowly; confused and very concerned. Shikamaru's hand twitched, feeling the need to light a cigarette. Neji mouthed the one thought that was on their minds.

"Training tomorrow is going to be a bitch."

No-one disagreed.

* * *

><p>Naruto lay on her shabby bed, orange sheets crumpled around her naked legs. Staring out her window at the silver moon, her mind was swirling.<p>

She successfully ignored the voice in her head that told her she was being unfair and irrational for letting her anger get the best of her. Her team mates didn't deserve to be treated like that.

But she couldn't stand the look in their eyes. Too worried, too concerned, too... pitying. She hated to be pitied. It was almost worse than being stared at with those hateful eyes for being a monster. She wasn't weak and they treated her like a baby. It wasn't like she couldn't look after herself. She had done that for the main part of her life.

Hell, four years ago she would have given everything for someone to care about her like that. And now? She was being an ungrateful bitch only because... only because...

Because she wouldn't admit to herself that she was fucking _scared_ of the fact that she would be facing her former best friend in only some weeks; that she was so insecure about making that promise; and the fact that the mere thought of seeing Sasuke again was creating a turmoil of emotions.

_Sasuke..._

Oh, how much she _hated _the boy.

For being able to affect her like that. With the mere thought of him.

For being able to turn her into a quivering child. At the thought of seeing him again.

For wishing she could go back in time. And undo his betrayal.

For aiming to kill her. With the chidori through her chest.

For making her chest hurt. So much.

But what scared her the most was the thought of her resolve breaking in the very first second she laid eyes on him. Despite knowing that he had meant to kill her. Despite knowing that he had betrayed her. Despite knowing that he had stolen her happiness.

Because, after all, Sasuke had been her very first friend. The first person she had looked up to.

Would it be enough to convince herself she hated him?

Or would the effort not be enough? Would it not be enough to tell herself that she was definitely not missing him? That the fact that she couldn't stop thinking of him since she had tasted her first tomato, didn't mean that maybe she wasn't hating him as much as she wanted to?

In the corner of her mind, the Kyuubi was laughing at her for her weakness.

* * *

><p>Neji's prediction from the night before had come true. Training had been torture. It had not helped that the three young men were equally hungover, lacking sleep and that their captain was barking out one order after the other.<p>

Kiba was complaining loudly. Shikamaru was whining under his breath. And Neji took it with as much dignity as possible.

After five hours of non-stop sparring and several bleeding cuts and dark bruises later, Kiba flopped down on the earthy ground. "Water," he panted, lying on his back with a heaving chest.

Neji took pity on the Inuzuka and tossed him his water bottle. Kiba tiredly lifted one arm and caught it out of the air. Shikamaru and Naruto ended their spar and walked over to the others.

The three looked pretty beaten and Naruto began to feel bad for pushing them like that.

She nervously played with her katana, while searching for something to say. There was only one thing to say; she had been mean and unfair last night. "Look, guys..." she started hesitantly, "I... I'm sorry about –"

A hand was firmly placed on her shoulder, interrupting her. "It's all right, idiot. We know..."

The blonde turned her head to face Shikamaru. She smiled weakly up at him.

Kiba stood up from the ground and stood in front of the blonde. "Dude, it was like you transformed into Sakura for a moment! Being bitchy doesn't suit you at all!"

Naruto cringed and guiltily looked away. A big hand grabbed her head and forced her to look up again; directly into Kiba's animal eyes. He suddenly grinned, "But you know, apology accepted!"

And before they saw it coming, the four found themselves pressed against each other, with Kiba merrily shouting, "Group hug!"

Neji's pale eyes widened in horror. Shikamaru muttered his favourite word. And Naruto enjoyed the feeling of being surrounded by her friends. Even if they were sweaty, smelling and crushing the air out of her lungs.

And maybe the world wasn't going to end just because she would see Sasuke again. Because she had the friends she needed right here.

* * *

><p>Over the next eight weeks, though, Naruto realized that banning the thought of Sasuke from her mind was taking more and more effort with every passing day.<p>

She was filled with a restlessness she had last felt before returning to Konoha after her time with Jiraiya; before Itachi had presented to her the opportunity to hunt the Akatsuki. It had been eight weeks – _two months_ – since Itachi had told her that it would only be 'some more weeks' to go after Sasuke. She was turning insane with the knowledge that every day Itachi could send for her.

Every day she worked herself to the point where she could barely stand. The Kyuubi's chakra surged through her body in an increasing effort to not only heal her strained muscles, but to keep her going without the needed amount of rest and food.

Her team mates' worry increased exponentially to Naruto's growing aggressiveness. They took mission after mission, each one more brutal, more bloody and more disturbing than the one before. During the last two months, they had taken more missions than necessary. And probably healthy.

Since they weren't going after the Akatsuki for the moment, they worked regular ANBU missions. And they learned quickly that being an ANBU was more than wearing a fancy mask.

The ANBU were the special troops, the ones who did missions that regular shinobi were either unfit or just too soft for. It didn't matter what kind of mission it was; supposedly harmless surveillance, a quick but bloody assassination or tracking a target for days through enemy territory. The missions were always of the highest-level. And since ANBU Team Four was proving to be efficient and successful, they were sent out with hardly twenty-four hours of break in between.

Naruto never complained. Her blue eyes had hardened, turning colder and colder, and the boys tried their best to talk her into resting once in a while. Without them reminding her to eat and sleep, the blonde would probably have keeled over a long time ago.

It was after an especially bloody mission, that Shikamaru decided that the way things were going needed to change. Dramatically.

They had set up camp somewhere near the northern border of Fire Country. A fire was burning, chasing away the darkness of the forest. Everyone was either nursing their wounds or cleaning their blades.

A tense silence hung over the group. The mission had been a failure. They had been ordered to assassinate a group of rogue ninja that had raided several small villages along the border. There had been six of the missing-nin and four of them. Usually, not a reason for the team to worry. But something had gone completely wrong.

The moment Naruto had spotted the rogue ninja, she had recklessly charged in, risking a fight one against six. Even for Naruto, six jounin-level missing-nin were not easy to defeat. After the boys had gotten over their initial shock, they had come to her aid, but two of their targets had managed to escape. Just because Naruto had completely disregarded their plans.

Shikamaru let his eyes wander over their small camp and let them rest on Neji. The Hyuuga felt the eyes on him and looked up, catching the determined expression on Shikamaru's face. Neji nodded and nudged Kiba on the arm with the hilt of his katana, signalling him to get up.

Kiba looked confused for a moment, before he caught on and the three closed in on their captain. The blonde girl was sitting in front of the fire, unseeingly staring into the dancing flames.

Before she had the time to react, the boys were upon her. They tackled her and threw her flat on the floor. Kiba and Neji held down her arms and Shikamaru straddled her hips.

Naruto's blue eyes flashed crimson in an instant, irrational rage flickering through them, that might or might not be her own. It was hard to tell these days how much Naruto was affected by the fox.

"What the hell, guys?" she growled lowly, trying to get up, but stopped as she felt the sharp edge of a kunai pressed against the side of her neck.

She hissed like a trapped animal, her eyes blazing.

Shikamaru stared into her demonic eyes, outwardly completely unfazed by the show of uncontrolled power. The kunai in his hands against her throat felt more than wrong, but the girl needed to understand how serious they were about this. And he doubted that they would get her to listen to them otherwise. They had tried talking to Naruto for over two months and nothing had helped.

"What the hell happened today, Naruto?" Shikamaru barked. No trace of the usual drawl in his voice.

The blonde stared up at him defiantly. Shikamaru knew she wouldn't answer.

"You charged in completely recklessly! What the hell were you thinking? We had a plan and this mission only failed because of you, Naruto!"

Red orbs narrowed at the accusation.

"We let you get away with your increasingly foul mood, but we will not stand by and watch you risking your life like that!" His voice was loud now, almost shouting at her.

"We watch you getting worse every day, Naruto. You don't eat, you don't sleep, you don't smile. You hardly even talk! All you do is fight and kill!" The brunette sighed and tried to get his own anger under control.

He shut his eyes for a moment; then spoke again, "Naruto, you are our friend, we love you and we won't watch you destroy yourself any longer. Please... Naruto, tell us what the hell is wrong with you!"

Red eyes turned away from Shikamaru, avoiding the pleading look on his features. Naruto didn't know what to say. She didn't know what the hell she had been thinking today when she just attacked like that. She didn't know what she was doing half of the time lately. Her thoughts were inexorably revolving around a certain someone... And Kyuubi's taunting whispering wasn't helping, either.

Shikamaru pressed the kunai against her neck, making her look at him again. He was shouting again, exasperated with Naruto's unresponsiveness. "You've been like that ever since Itachi's last visit. Was it something he said? Naruto? What did he tell you?"

The feral eyes narrowed in anger and Shikamaru knew he had struck a nerve. "Is this.. is this about Sasuke? About the promise you made to Itachi?"

Naruto turned her head away sharply, making the sharp edge of the kunai cut her skin. She ignored the pain, welcomed it even, since it helped her to focus on something else. But Shikamaru wouldn't let her. He shook her shoulders and grabbed her chin with his free hand, forcing her to face him.

Naruto glared at him, a low growl coming from her throat.

"So this is about him..." Shikamaru confirmed his own words, "You knew that you would have to face Sasuke eventually when you made that promise, Naruto. Why is this affecting you like this?"

Naruto tried to free her chin from Shikamaru's fingers, but the Nara only tightened his grip until it hurt. "Let it go, Shikamaru," Naruto hissed warningly.

"No, I won't let this go any longer, Naruto. We've been worried sick about you all this time and we deserve to know what is happening to you!" He was shouting again and the girl under him squirmed uncomfortably.

"We know that Sasuke was your best friend at one point, but why are you so afraid of seeing him again?"

The blonde visibly flinched.

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "That's it," he whispered in sudden realization, "you're afraid of seeing him. You're... _scared!"_

Her blood red eyes were sparkling. Shikamaru suddenly had the feeling that maybe he had gone too far.

"What did he do to you, Naruto?" his voice was just above a whisper, unsure if he really wanted to know what had happened between the two.

The sparkling in her eyes increased and Shikamaru realized that it was caused from unshed tears. A look of concern crossed over his features and Naruto closed her eyes. Tears spilled over her face, leaving sad trails on the scarred cheeks.

Kiba shot Shikamaru a panicky look as sudden sobs shook Naruto's small body.

The kunai fell from Shikamaru's hand and he let her chin go. The others let go of her arms, shocked at the sight of their crying captain. They had never seen Naruto cry before. Naruto wasn't supposed to cry. Naruto was their ball of sunshine, full of energy and optimism. But honestly... Those days were long gone.

Shikamaru quickly got off of her. Unsure of what to do, he exchanged a questioning glance with the others. Kiba was furiously shaking his head. The poor boy was thoroughly overwhelmed with the situation. Neji's pale eyes regarded him and he mouthed soundlessly, "You caused this, you undo this!"

Shikamaru's eyes fell back on the crying blonde. What had he done? He had just meant to get a reaction out of her. Had he expected it to be a mental break-down, he would never have pushed her like that.

Hesitantly, he reached down and pulled the sobbing girl into his arms. She stiffened for a moment, but then curled up against his chest, burying her face in her hands.

He patted her back, feeling rather awkward, but that was what his mother used to do when he was crying when he had been younger. "Sh," he made, meaning to soothe her, "I'm sorry."

"No," Naruto sniffled, "_I_ am sorry."

New sobs shook her. The boys did her best to make out her words. "I am so sorry... for worrying you and... for being such a bitch... but..."

She blubbered out incoherent words, letting out feelings that had been suppressed for probably way longer than the last two months.

Shikamaru had been right. Naruto was afraid. In fact, she was beyond afraid. The thought of confronting Sasuke and bringing him back to Konoha, was scaring her like nothing had ever before. But the boys didn't know why. They had no idea that part of her fear stemmed from the fact that Sasuke had wanted to kill her. Naruto had no idea how Itachi planned to get Sasuke back to Konoha. He hadn't even told her why she needed him for his plan to succeed.

She just couldn't shake off the question of what would happen if they failed and Sasuke would again try to kill her? Would she be able to face him in a fight again? After their fateful battle in the Valley of the End, she had hoped that she would never have to fight Sasuke to the death again. She had never wanted to fight her best friend to the death in the first place. But in the end, she hadn't been strong enough to struck him with her rasengan. While Sasuke had cold-bloodedly rammed his chidori through her chest.

She remembered the feeling of the lightning charged attack only too well.

Shikamaru held her and she was glad for the fact that he didn't press the topic again. The boys had understood that there was more to Naruto's bad mood. They just didn't know the whole truth. They had never seen the ugly scar just over her heart.

The Nara kept patting her back and stroking her hair. She almost didn't catch his words through her own snivelling. "We're here for you, Naru. He won't hurt you again." It was unnecessary to mention who 'he' was.

Naruto eventually fell asleep and Shikamaru lifted her up and placed her on her bedroll. Three heavy sighs were heard after Naruto was put to rest. The three brunettes shared a look. They had not expected their fierce captain to break down like that. They felt guilty but also relieved that Naruto had – even if involuntarily – opened up to them.

* * *

><p>After three hours of travelling the next morning, Akamaru suddenly barked a warning. A second later, Neji raised his hand to indicate that he had seen something with his Byakugan.<p>

The team stopped, Naruto looked up at Neji, expectantly.

"There is a clearing, approximately two miles from here, Naruto-taichou. Someone is waiting there, it seems," the Hyuuga explained what he saw.

"Can you tell who it is?" Naruto asked.

"No, not yet."

Naruto pondered the new information for a moment. Then she shrugged and waved for the others to follow. As long as they didn't know who it was, they couldn't say, if it was friend or foe.

As they came closer, Naruto got the vague feeling that she had felt that chakra before. They stopped a safe distance away from the person and waited.

Naruto felt Neji tense behind her. The Hyuuga bent forward a bit and whispered into her ear. "It's Kabuto," he said, having seen through the man's cloak with his Byakugan. How had the man found them? And how did he know that the four masked ANBU were indeed Naruto and her team?

Naruto frowned, but then her initial surprise gave way to anger. The spy was Orochimaru's right hand. He was one of the people, who had made Sasuke defect. Whatever he wanted, it couldn't be good.

An eerie chuckle broke the silence and they heard Kabuto's sly voice call out. "Good morning, Naruto-chan. It's a pleasure to see you again."

Naruto growled at him for calling her Naruto-chan. "What do you want?" she yelled back, a hand already over her shoulder, on the hilt of her katana.

"Oh, not so fast, Naruto-chan," the missing-nin chuckled, "I just want to talk to you."

"I'm not interested in whatever you have to say," Naruto declared.

"Oh, but you should," he called back. "Come closer, Naruto-chan. I won't hurt you."

"No," Shikamaru hissed at his captain. The blonde looked at him through the slits of her Weasel mask. "He's just trying to fool you. He will try to kill you the first chance he gets," the Nara insisted.

Naruto took her mask off. Shikamaru rolled his eyes, exasperated. "What are you doing, Naru? You can't trust him."

"Geez, Shika," Naruto said, "Of course, I don't trust him. But I'm curious. Why did he make the effort to find us? I want to know what he wants."

She tossed her mask and back pouch to Shikamaru. If it came to a fight, the pouch would hinder her and since Kabuto knew who she was, she didn't need to wear the mask. "You stay here. Don't interfere unless I give you a sign," she ordered and started walking towards Kabuto.

The boys watched her anxiously, not at all happy, but also knowing that Naruto was able to defend herself. They saw Kabuto pushing back his hood. His lips moved, but the two were too far away to make out any words.

"Can you hear them, Kiba?" Shikamaru asked.

The Inuzuka shook his head. "No, they are too far away and the wind is too loud. I don't know what's happening."

Their eyes never left the two figures. A few minutes passed. Then they saw Naruto take a step backwards, unsheathing her katana. She clenched her fists around the hilt.

"Something is wrong," Neji said quietly. "Her chakra is going crazy." His Byakugan could clearly discern the red of the demon's chakra running through her body, pushing aside the light blue of her own chakra.

As if on cue, all three felt an incredible increase in Naruto's power. They stared wide-eyed as three red tails formed behind her back in an instant; a furiously bubbling mass of visible energy.

"What the..." Kiba breathed, eyes darting between his captain and Kabuto. The man was still talking. Whatever he was telling Naruto was seriously pissing her off for her to go from zero to _three _tails like that.

They had never seen the Kyuubi's chakra manifest this quickly. Three tails meant danger. They had never seen more than three tails. And Jiraiya had told them they didn't want to see it; ever.

"We need to intervene, before she loses control," Shikamaru urged, already searching for the chakra suppression sealing tags in his pockets.

They ran towards the two figures at the end of the large clearing.

Naruto had thrown away her sword, crouching low on all fours on the ground. She was baring her foxy canines at the man in front of her, a terrifying snarl on her face, tails swinging restlessly.

"You're lying!" They heard her yell at Kabuto, her voice deeper than normal, rawer, influenced by the Kyuubi.

"I am not and you know it," Kabuto said, sounding way too pleased with himself. He spread his arms in a gesture that should probably emphasize the truth of his words. He seemed completely unfazed by the fact that Naruto was about to go berserk in Jinchuuriki mode.

Neji stopped the others with a sign of his hand. They were only a few feet away from Naruto now. He pointed at their captain and the others hissed.

The aggressive red chakra was slowly dissolving the girl's skin and clothes. Her face was a mask of pure rage and anguish, mixed with pain from what was obviously happening to her. Shreds of skin were burnt, revealing the rosy muscles and blood vessels underneath. Droplets of blood rose from her body, mixing with the evil chakra around her.

Neji charged forward, a sealing tag in his hand. But before he could get too close to Naruto, she flicked her three tails, keeping him away from her. Neji dodged a swinging tail, but was forced to stop his advance. Naruto's head snapped around, looking at her three team mates through crimson eyes.

"_Run_!" a voice, thick with raw power, snapped warningly.

Before they could react, Naruto's chakra _exploded._

The boys were thrown over by the sheer force of the chakra blast. They skidded over the grassy ground until they finally found enough footing to stop themselves. They stood up on shaky knees, afraid of what they were going to see next.

Shikamaru lifted his head. His eyes fell on the small crater around Naruto; created only by the eruption of the Kyuubi's power.

Three pairs of eyes widened in horror, as the fourth tail manifested, all resemblances to the blonde girl completely gone.

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><p><strong>Well... I guess this can be considered a cliff hanger! What did Kabuto tell Naruto? And what is going to happen now that she manifested four tails?<strong>

**So many questions :P You will find out in the next chapter!**

**I know that Naruto seems a bit weak-willed maybe at the end of this chapter, concerning her fear of Sasuke, but if I imagine myself to be in her situation (which I will very obviously never be, for various reasons), I think that her being scared of the confrontation with Sasuke is only human. And she still is only human, even if my Naruto is a bit more badass and more serious than canon-Naruto. But also let me tell you, that once Naruto sees Sasuke again, things will... change... That's all I say for now ;)**

**This chapter was seriously the last one this year. I really have to concentrate on my exams now. I hope I find some time to write during the holidays. After Christmas, I go skiing in Austria, but I don't think I'll have internet in the hotel, so expect the next update in the second week of January!**

**And now, for the third time I think, I wish you all a Merry Christmas! :)**

**Oh and please don't be mad if I don't answer to your reviews and pms, but I probably won't find the time to check on this site until after the exam.**

**Till next year ;)**

**xXHaneliXx**


	15. Chapter 15 Part One

**The author says: **Hello everyone! I know I said I would update this fic in the second week of January, but you have no idea how much work this chapter needed.

First of all, thanks so much to all of you for reviewing and wishing me luck for my exams! I don't have the results yet, but I should have passed nicely! I'm also sorry for not getting back to any of you! I will answer any specific questions you had in the coming week and also to all the new reviews!

**Some words to this chapter! **Okay, so I needed to put a lot of new information and character development into this chapter. And it turned out to have _over 20k words_! Over 40 pages on word. It's insane. I never intended for it to be so long. But even after deleting over four pages of emotional insight to Naruto, it's still pretty long. **So I had to divide the chapter into two parts! I don't want to make you read almost 20k words in one chapter, since I myself wouldn't appreciate such a length at all.**

**BUT! I promised you guys that in chapter 16 Sasuke and Naruto would finally meet. So do you see my predicament?** Since I split this chapter up, chapter 16 will now be the second part of this chapter... So I will have to break my promise to you. That is why I will upload the second part of chapter 15 not as the official 'Chapter 16', but as 'Chapter 15 – Part 2'! Tricky, right? ;) Well, not really. And I'm sorry that it took me so long for finishing this chapter. Just proofreading the first 11k words took me _over 5 hours!_ And now I really can't proofread the rest of the chapter. So I will try to find the time to do it in the next week and upload part 2 of this later.

_Okay, long apology, but I hope you forgive me, my faithful readers!_

Also, I have yet another exam in two weeks, so I don't really have all that much time to write.

And now, please enjoy the first part of Chapter 15! And leave me a comment ;)

_**AN: Thanks to EDelta88 for pointing out some logical flaws at the end! I fixed the problem as fast and best as I could!**_

**I don't own Naruto.**

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><p><strong>'He had no idea'<strong>

**Chapter 15 – Part One**

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><p><em><strong>All alone<strong>_

_**even when I was a child**_

_**I've always known**_

_**there was something to be frightened of **_

_**And I can see it coming from the edge of the room**_

_**creeping in the street light**_

_**holding my hand in the pale gloom**_

_**can you see it coming now **_

_**I think I'm breaking down again**_

_**I think I'm breaking down again**_

_**- **_**'Breaking Down' by Florence and The Machine**

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><p><em>An eerie chuckle broke the silence and they heard Kabuto's sly voice call out, "Good morning, Naruto-chan. It's a pleasure to see you again."<em>

_Naruto growled at him for calling her _Naruto-chan_. "What do you want?" she yelled back, a hand already reaching upwards over her shoulder, to the hilt of her katana._

_"Oh, not so fast, Naruto-chan," the missing-nin chuckled. "I just want to talk to you."_

_"I'm not interested in whatever you have to say," Naruto declared._

_"Oh, but you should be," he called back. "Come closer, Naruto-chan. I won't hurt you."_

_"No," Shikamaru hissed at his captain. The blonde looked at him through the slits of her Weasel mask. "He's just trying to fool you. He will try to kill you the first chance he gets," the Nara insisted._

_Naruto took her mask off. Shikamaru rolled his eyes, exasperated. "What are you doing, Naru? You can't trust him."_

_"Geez, Shika," Naruto said, "Of course, I don't trust him. But I'm curious. Why did he make the effort to find us? I want to know what he wants."_

_She tossed her mask and back pouch to Shikamaru. If it came to a fight, the pouch would hinder her and since Kabuto knew who she was, she didn't need to wear the mask. "You stay here. Don't interfere unless I give you a sign," she ordered her team and started walking towards Kabuto._

Naruto knew she was getting out of hearing range to her team mates, but they were still close enough to back her up. She wondered what Kabuto had planned. And she was sure that he indeed had a plan.

She stopped some feet away from him and studied his face. Naruto hadn't seen the man for over three years, but there were strange-looking changes on him. These weren't changes one acquired due to ageing or in a natural way.

His features looked somehow sharper, the shape of his eyes more defined and... did he have slitted pupils? Naruto immediately was reminded of Orochimaru, the resemblance to the man's former master was so great.

His skin was paler and there was a light purple colour around his eyes. "What's up with the new look? Are you playing dress up?" Naruto smirked teasingly, "Looks like you miss your master a tad too much!"

Kabuto only smiled his creepy smile and spread his arms, "Naruto-chan, still a loud-mouth, I see."

The girl snorted, letting him assume whatever he wanted. Better he underestimated her.

"But no," the former spy continued, "I'm not _dressing up_ as you so nicely put it. In fact, let me tell you a secret." He lowered his voice as if he really was letting the girl in on some huge secret. "I absorbed my master's body cells, you see. The visible changes are not the only ones, Naruto-chan."

He cocked his head in a way that looked so much like Orochimaru that Naruto believed him instantly. But absorbing Orochimaru's cells? Did that mean that the criminal was still alive? Sort of? But Sasuke had killed him.

"I can see the questions on your face, Naruto-chan. Let me enlighten you," Kabuto offered benevolently. "Rest assured that the Orochimaru you knew was killed by our precious Sasuke-kun. But my master's cells live _in me_ now. And I turned into the ultimate version of his techniques and my healthy body."

"So you let the snaky bastard possess you?" Naruto questioned, decidedly ignoring the jibe on Sasuke.

Kabuto chuckled. "No, Orochimaru-sama is not possessing me, but rather living on in me. He doesn't control me or my actions. I only absorbed his strength and skills."

Naruto pondered his words for a moment and came to the conclusion that she had no idea why he was telling her all this. So she asked.

"Oh, you see, Naruto-chan, I came here for a reason today. Showing you my new self was not the main intention, though."

His slick smile vanished and his face turned serious. "I'd like to make you an offer. Or rather, the man I am working with now, would like to make you an offer."

"The man you're working with? Still not a free man, Kabuto? I thought that after being Orochimaru's henchman for so long you would start being your own master. And what could you possibly offer me? You don't have anything of interest for me," Naruto answered coolly, despite becoming a bit suspicious.

The gray-haired missing-nin chuckled lowly. "I _am _my own master now, don't misunderstand, Naruto-chan. But sometimes you have to join forces if you're aiming for world domination."

Naruto blinked stupidly. World domination? Was that a joke? But somehow she had the sinking feeling that the man in front of her was not joking at all.

"Aren't you aiming a bit high?" she scoffed, "I mean, seriously, _world domination_? Isn't that what every villain is dreaming of?"

A mocking smile spread over Kabuto's lips and the way he looked at her made her feel as if he was pitying her. He seemed to be completely in earnest about his plans. And he felt sorry for her that she didn't see the great scheme.

"This is not a mere dream, Naruto-chan. It's the future."

Naruto stared, trying to keep the incredulity she felt from showing on her face.

"And we want you to be part of that future."

Naruto's eyes widened. Incredulity showing. But she must have misunderstood. They wanted her to _join?_ Seriously? Was Kabuto after the Kyuubi, just like the Akatsuki? At least, Kabuto was asking, instead of trying to rip the demon from her core.

A mirthless laughter erupted from her throat, surprising both herself and the man in front of her.

"Why the hell would I join you?" she asked in pure disbelief, amusement plain on her features.

Kabuto's smile had vanished completely. He didn't share her obvious amusement. "Because we offer you the truth."

Her laughter stilled and she cocked her head at him. "The truth? What kind of truth should I expect from a traitor?"

He didn't react to her jibe, but kept staring at her intently. "The truth, which everyone is keeping from you; everyone you consider your precious people."

The amusement faded from her face. Her eyes narrowed. What the hell was he talking about? "I'm not interested in your lies, traitor. I won't join you, so let's end this game!"

Naruto unsheathed her katana in a fluid motion, widening her stance to be ready to attack. But the man in front of her made no move.

Kabuto sighed. "You're not making this easy for me, Naruto-chan. But since I came here to make you an offer, I feel compelled to tell you the truth. It might... _change your perspective_ a bit." His thin lips curled up in a devious smirk.

"Frankly, Naruto-chan, I never expected you to join us, but my new... partner... suggested I should still ask you nicely. But since you so harshly refuse, I will tell you another secret. A secret that may make our offer more appealing to you."

Naruto stared at him with hard eyes. Her head told her she should just attack and not listen to the man's sly words. But what made Kabuto think that she should listen to him? And why did he think it would make her change her mind? She would never join Kabuto and this new partner.

Gripping her katana tighter, she waited for the other to go on.

Seeing the scowl on the blonde's face, Kabuto knew he had her attention. "I see you're willing to listen now. Very well, then be prepared to hear of a truth, that was kept from you since your birth."

Naruto's heart rate quickened. Her mind kept yelling at her to just attack, but she wanted to hear this. So she remained silent. A shiver of dread ran up her spine and an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, as he heard the man's next words.

"Naruto-chan, have you ever wondered who your parents are?"

What kind of question was that? Of course she had. Countless times, just like probably every other orphan besides her.

Not waiting for an answer, the missing-nin went on, "What did they tell you, Naruto-chan? About your parents?"

Without meaning to, she heard herself reply, "They probably died during the Kyuubi attack, no one knows who they were."

"I say that's not the truth. Tell me, Naruto-chan, what do you think is more cruel? To seal a demon inside of an orphaned girl without parents? Or to seal it inside _your own daughter_?"

"What are you saying?" the blonde snapped angrily. Sealing a demon in one's daughter? The Yondaime had sealed the Kyuubi inside _her_. Because she had been the only new-born that day. She had been the only possible vessel. Or so the Sandaime had explained it to her after her former teacher had told her the truth about the Kyuubi being sealed insider of her.

"You're not making the connection yet. I'm saying that it was _your father_, who turned you into a Jinchuuriki."

Involuntarily, her blue eyes grew wider and wider, as she listened to words that she should know better than to believe. Kabuto had always had a quick tongue. Why was she believing his words now?

He talked about a father she had never known, a man considered a hero in her village. A mother, whose fiery temper she had inherited. The man didn't stop at that, but told her about the people, who had known the truth about her parentage.

Her head was swirling, logic seemed to elude her. Blonde hair, Kabuto was saying. No one else had hair that bright and yellow. Only Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage. And his daughter.

She didn't even feel the red chakra freeing itself of its confines in her mind. Her barriers were low, weakened by what she was hearing. A movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Her team mates. Why were they looking so distressed?

But her head snapped back around, fixing the grey-haired traitor.

"You're lying!" her own voice yelled, thick with wavering conviction and raw from the Kyuubi's influence.

"I am not and you know it," Kabuto said, sounding way too pleased with himself. He spread his arms in a gesture, that should probably emphasize the truth of his words. "_I_ am not the person that lied to you. But _everyone else_ did."

He studied her changing appearance with great interest. He marvelled at how fast the demon's chakra was gathering around her body. Three tails had formed behind her back, swinging angrily. She had thrown away her katana; but her wide eyes told him that maybe the girl wasn't aware of what was going on.

"Join us, Naruto-chan. Because we don't keep the truth from you. Surely, you don't want to go back to a village full of people, who betrayed you."

That got a reaction from her. _Betrayed. _This word. How she _hated_ it and the emotions that came with it. But truly, wasn't it just another form of betrayal? Keeping this truth from her that would have changed her life completely?

She was filled with a certainty that life would have treated her better, if the villagers had known whose daughter they were beating up and staring at with hateful eyes. No one would have dared doing all those awful things to the daughter of the Yondaime, the greatest shinobi Konoha had ever known.

By keeping that knowledge from her, they had ruined her childhood. They had influenced it as much as the Kyuubi sealed in her guts. But had they really known? Tsunade-baachan, Ero-Sennin? Kakashi? The Sandaime? Everyone she had ever trusted?

_**Everyone knew, **_a deep voice whispered in the back of her mind. **_But no one told you. They _betrayed_ you. It is right to feel angry. Come, Uzumaki._**

Naruto closed her eyes. The next instant, she found herself standing in front of the Kyuubi's cage. The demon's huge eyes looked down at her intently.

"Did you know?" she asked, weak, defeated.

_**Of course, I did.**_ Satisfaction swung in the fox's voice, mixed with amusement about the pain on his vessel's face.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked louder, fuelled by her rising anger.

_**You never asked, human, **_the fox said lazily. **_But now you know, and I can feel the rage in you. I can feel that you want to destroy them. Come, Uzumaki, together we will eliminate them all. They won't lie to you again!_**

Naruto's knees gave in and she sank down into the dirty water of her sewer-like mindscape. The fox cackled above her, looming over her like the beast he was. His eyes glowed ominously in the darkness.

His words lulled her in, with promises of killing her enemies and slaying all betrayers.

The water around her began to bubble. Her hand reached out, trying to diffuse the rising steam. But her will was too weak. She fell face-first into the water.

Pain exploded throughout her body.

The Kyuubi's roar filled the cage, triumphing. He was in control.

* * *

><p>Kabuto stared at the girl. Something was happening to her, but he was not yet sure of what it was. She seemed too absent-minded, not reacting to his words at all. She had crouched low, on all fours. A snarl was on her face and her slitted red eyes were sparkling with rage and hatred.<p>

Being the medic-nin he was, Kabuto smelled the blood before he saw it. Then he saw the flaking skin on her hands and face, the crimson droplets that rose into the air, mixing with the chakra around her.

He was fascinated by the sight. He had never seen anything like this. His schooled eyes took in all the small changes, storing them away for later.

"So this is the Kyuubi's power," he murmured to himself, readjusting his glasses with a push of his finger. "No wonder everyone is trying to obtain it."

The grey-haired man saw Naruto's team mates approach, but stopping in shocked awe at the sight of the girl's transformation. They looked not nearly as fascinated as him, but rather appalled and worried.

In that moment, the girl's eyes tore away from him and focused on the three boys with something akin to lucidity. She snapped out a warning, but it was too late.

Kabuto was flung away from the shock wave of Naruto's exploding power. He scrambled to his feet, unwilling to miss the smallest detail of the transformation.

But even Kabuto had not counted on what he was seeing now. In front of him, way too close for his liking now, crouched a miniature Kyuubi. Four tails of raw chakra clawed at the earth behind him. The force of his chakra had created a crater and a circle of destruction.

Far away, he saw Naruto's team mates get to their feet.

But he did not have any time to be distracted, since the demon, that had minutes before been a blonde girl, was attacking.

* * *

><p>"Shit..." Kiba breathed, not daring to take his eyes off the scene a safe distance away. Or maybe not safe enough, since all his sharpened senses were screaming at him to get the hell out of here and not to turn around for at least several hours of running straight into the opposite direction.<p>

"I fear to hear what Kabuto said to trigger such a reaction..." Shikamaru muttered, adding a heart-felt "Troublesome."

Neji didn't envy Kabuto right now. He even felt the slightest tad of pity for the man. But the missing-nin had brought it upon himself.

Akamaru was whimpering openly, not caring whether any of the guys was calling him a coward. But since he was a dog, his instincts were acting up as much as his master's, and he would have been glad to give in to the urge to flee from the scene.

However, the three boys plus dog didn't leave the clearing-turned-crater. Judging from the way Naruto's whole body had transformed into the mini-Kyuubi – that was still not mini enough for the guys' liking – she was probably in as much danger as Kabuto.

So far, the criminal was dealing surprisingly well for the fact that he was battling a furious demon that was at least twice his size. He dodged and jumped, swirling so quickly that even under Neji's watchful Byakugan, he was hardly a blur.

But while Kabuto at least was a blur, Naruto moved at an inhuman speed. Had Neji not known better, he would have said the girl was using some teleportation jutsu. But the ability to use any jutsus seemed to have left her entirely in her current form.

The red chakra fox attacked Kabuto relentlessly, clawing at him with elongated arms, snapping at him with pointed canines.

But even Kabuto couldn't stand this brute force for too long.

Naruto's tails swiped him off his feet and he hit the earth with a painful grunt. Naruto's chakra arms grabbed his foot, pulling the man closer to her opened jaw.

The four tails were raised high above Naruto's head. Bubbling chakra was gathering at the tips, melting together into a dense, black ball; glowing red and black. The feeling coming from it was more than chilling. Whatever the Kyuubi was doing, Kabuto had no chance of surviving this attack.

With a nod of his head, Shikamaru told the others to get moving. They raced towards their captain, counting on the fact that her beast-form was too absorbed in killing her prey, to notice their advance.

Shikamaru stopped and got down on one knee, hands clasped together in an all-familiar seal. His shadow moved, lengthened, reaching for the fox demon.

Chakra suppression sealing tags in their hands, Neji and Kiba ran at her, ready to attach the seals on her body and stop this madness.

But the Kyuubi's senses were sharper than a dog's and quicker than the Byakugan. A tail threw Kiba to the side, leaving him gasping for air. Another tail went for Neji, but as the tail connected with the Hyuuga's body, Neji's form burst into smoke and a log was left in his stead.

The real Neji advanced from the other side, throwing himself carelessly onto the demon's form. A tail struck him across his face, leaving a red mark on his cheek and the stinging smell of burning flesh.

Only then did Shikamaru manage to trap the demon in his Shadow Binding Technique. The beast stopped moving, trying to shake off the jutsu.

But the seal was successfully attached to the mini-Kyuubi's chest.

The effect was immediate. Red chakra dissolved, energy reshaping and rebuilding the shape of a human body. Skin mended over and hair grew back.

Crimson, slitted eyes returned to their too-blue colour, glazed over, feverish.

Kabuto's lifeless body fell from Naruto's arms and her head snapped around. She flinched in pain.

Everything hurt, hurt, _hurt_.

Naruto lifted a hand and stared in shocked awe at skin, that began re-covering the exposed muscles of her fingers.

The metallic taste of blood was on her tongue. A wave of exhaustion hit her and she felt her stomach churn.

A well-meant hand landed carefully on her shoulder, but the soft touch send hot spikes of pain racing through her body. She recoiled from the contact just to bend over and empty her stomach on the earthy ground.

The sounds of her retching filled the eerie silence hanging over the clearing.

Shikamaru and Kiba exchanged a worried glance over her head. Neji approached from the other direction, limping slightly, a slash of burnt skin on his once flawless cheek.

Shikamaru crouched next to the younger girl, but refrained from touching her this time. "Naruto?" he asked in a whisper, not yet sure whether the danger had passed.

Despite the situation, Shikamaru felt his cheeks heat up as he got closer to the girl. The transformation into a raw chakra form had completely vaporized Naruto's clothes and left behind an exposed, naked young woman.

The seal, that held the Kyuubi, was glowing reddish on her tan skin. It faded quietly, as the demon was fully suppressed.

If Naruto had already registered the fact that she was naked, she didn't show.

And indeed, she hadn't. The pain was almost overwhelming. Darkness danced around the edges of her vision and Kabuto's words tormented her. Her thoughts were a mush of betrayal and lies. Like before, logic eluded her. Too uncertain were the facts she had been handed by a man she considered her main enemy, right after the Akatsuki.

"Have you known?" she croaked through a raw throat. Paranoia rising within her.

"Known what, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked hesitantly.

The blonde head was lifted with visible effort to meet his eyes. "About my father," she said, stronger this time. New fury was boiling inside her.

Shikamaru's eyes darted to Neji, then to Kiba. Both shook their head, having no idea what their captain was asking.

"Your father?" Shikamaru prompted cautiously, inching closer to his friend on his knees.

A haunted look crossed through her blue eyes and the brunette felt a pang at the pain and insecurity he found. Shikamaru opened his mouth to say something, anything, but Naruto suddenly jumped to her feet, a snarl on her lips.

"Don't _lie_ to me!" she screamed, a hint of something disturbingly close to insanity in her voice.

The savage expression on her face faded, as she swayed on her feet. Cut off from her chakra, and after what had just happened, her body was finally forcing her to rest. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell over – straight into the waiting arms of her team mate.

Neji swiftly caught his unconscious captain and rested her down on her back. Shikamaru was with him in an instant, taking off his cloak and spreading it over Naruto's body. He pulled the dark cloth up to her chin, when something caught his attention.

There, on Naruto's tanned skin, was a scar. Of course, as an active kunoichi, Naruto's body was littered with scars. Small lines from cuts and stabs, some bigger, some smaller than others. All a tad lighter than the rest of her skin.

But this scar was bigger than the rest and oddly shaped. Almost like... _a star, maybe?_ The edges were rough and judging from his knowledge about scars, the Nara would say that it was already some years old.

But what really caught his attention, was the scar's closeness to Naruto's heart. The ugly patch of scar tissue was located over the blonde's left breast, just over the breastbone. No one would usually see this part of her body, unless Naruto was either showing some cleavage or she was completely topless. Since Naruto always wrapped her chest with bandages instead of wearing a bra – a fact one learned when being on a team together and having to spend more nights than pleasant sleeping on forest floors – he didn't find it odd that he had never seen it before.

"Judging from the scar tissue and the size of it, this wound should have been fatal," Neji's calm voice cut through the silence. "Turn her over," he said to Shikamaru. "I want to check something."

Shikamaru looked at his team mate for a moment. Deciding that Neji, being the only one of them, who had been trained as a medic-nin, seemed to have a suspicion, Shikamaru gently turned the unconscious girl onto her side.

Neji saw his suspicion confirmed as his eyes fell on an almost identical scar right under Naruto's left shoulder blade. Shikamaru gritted his teeth and turned Naruto back on her back.

Kiba blinked, shocked from their discovery. "Geez, something went straight through her chest!"

Neji nodded and said quietly, "This should have been fatal, whatever it was. It is probably thanks to her improved healing abilities that she is still alive."

"The scar on her back is a bit smaller, so the attack came from in front of her," Shikamaru provided, leaving all of them pondering what could have caused such an injury.

"B-But," Kiba stammered, "who would want to kill Naruto? She's never been in a fight to the death!"

"Do we know that for sure?" Shikamaru interjected, still studying the scar on Naruto's chest.

His genius mind was working, piecing together the information he had. He had a suspicion and thinking about what had transpired the evening before, the Nara was pretty sure he had an idea of just who Naruto had fought to the death.

And suddenly it all made sense to him. Naruto's fear of seeing Sasuke again. The hatred she claimed to feel for Sasuke for his betrayal and leaving. But this went deeper than just leaving her behind. Apparently, Sasuke had really tried to kill her. No wonder, she was acting so erratic. The increasing irritation about a promise she had made to Itachi.

_What have you done, Sasuke?_

Akamaru barked loudly and very suddenly, all three males became very aware of the fact that they were staring at their very female captain's very naked breasts.

They flushed simultaneously, averting their eyes, while Shikamaru hurried to pull the cloak up to Naruto's chin.

Shikamaru turned and his brown eyes fell on yet another note-worthy thing. The corpse, which was supposed to be Kabuto, _wasn't_ Kabuto.

The body lying on the earthy floor, was not the grey-haired man Naruto had initially fought. It showed the right signs of attack; wounds, that were undoubtedly inflicted by feral claws and fangs. But the corpse's hair was not grey but a light brown, and it didn't show the snaky similarities to Orochimaru around the eyes.

"Did he get away?" Kiba asked incredulously.

"And why leave a corpse in his place?" the Nara drawled. "It seems like the real Kabuto never showed up in person. An interesting technique."

Neji studied the corpse with his Byakugan and checked it with his hands, but there was no doubt. This man had never been Kabuto. But somehow he had looked like the criminal and even Neji's skilful eyes had not detected the jutsu before.

They disposed of the dead body ANBU-style and inspected the rest of the clearing, trying to leave behind as few traces as possible. Which proved to be rather difficult, seeing how Naruto had turned the surrounding trees and grasses to dust.

Two hours later, Naruto had still not woken up, so the three decided to get moving. As it came to the question of who of them was going to dress Naruto properly in the cloak and carry the half-naked girl afterwards, they turned to the good old game rock-paper-scissors.

Neji came out as the loser. The pale-eyed teen wrapped his blonde captain in Shikamaru's cloak as decently as possible and lifted her in his arms. They didn't dare to put her on Akamaru's back, since they would be forced to secure her on the dog somehow. And they didn't know whether Naruto was still hurting.

They had been running for three hours, when Naruto finally began to stir in the Hyuuga's arms. He gave a small signal and the others stopped. He put Naruto to the ground, carefully cradling her head in the crook of his arm.

Deeming it safe now, Neji opened the dark cloak just enough to remove the sealing tag from its place under Naruto's right collarbone, where he had aimlessly placed it in the struggle before.

* * *

><p>The shadowless blackness of unconsciousness slowly lifted. But when she opened her eyes, she found herself in front of the Kyuubi's cage.<p>

A malicious smile was on the fox's face, clearly enjoying his vessel's anguish and confusion. The blonde shook her head to free herself of the last remnants of numbness. She remembered standing in a clearing, confronting Kabuto... And his lies... which he claimed to be true.

Some talk about her parents and betrayal of her precious people... Then the Kyuubi, offering his help to kill everything in his wake, to erase all lies and truths.

What had happened after she had fallen to her knees in front of the fox? She racked her brain for any memory, but there was none. Frightened, she looked up at the demon.

"What happened?" she croaked miserably. Too miserably, because she felt the demon's eyes light up with joy at seeing her depression, her denial.

_**I killed your enemy for you, Uzumaki,**_ the demon said, almost gently, as if indeed he had helped her.

_My enemy? Kabuto..._ "You killed Kabuto?"

_**No, **_**we ****_killed him. Together, we slew him and made him stop telling lies. That's what you wanted, wasn't it?_**

Kabuto was dead? Then why didn't she remember killing him? And had she wanted to kill him? Of course, she had. She couldn't deny that. _I should be glad that he is dead._

Another thought came back to her. She had asked the fox whether he had known about her parents. "You knew!" she accused him, pointing an angry finger at the beast that was easily twenty times her size.

An evil but amused cackle was her answer. _**Foolish human, how could I forget the man, that sealed me inside of you? I will never cease to hate him.**_

"Why didn't you tell me? It would have changed so much!" Naruto said weakly.

The demon snorted. _**You are making a vital mistake, little human. For some unknown reason you assume that I have any interest in helping you. Didn't you hear my words? Your father was the one, who put me in this misery.**_

What was she to believe? A traitor, a demon? Naruto truly wished she wouldn't believe them, but after what they had said, it was just so... obvious...

Still, there was this tiny, oh so tiny, spark of hope left in her. That maybe Tsunade and Jiraiya had not known about her parentage... And Kakashi and the Sandaime neither...

She furiously tried to hold onto that last beacon of hope; because if her precious people had known... that would mean... another betrayal... _that makes it three,_ she scoffed in her mind.

The Kyuubi looked at her with great interest. Oh, how he loved to see his human container so close to tears, so close to giving control over to him again. At least he was able to invade her thoughts again, now that the pale-eyed human had removed that annoying sealing tag that had suppressed his chakra.

Clinging to that small, hopeful thought, Naruto slowly returned to reality.

Her body still hurt from turning into a mini-Kyuubi. She forced her heavy eyelids open to stare at the pale eyes of her team mate. She blinked a few times to get rid of the blurry vision.

Her eyes fell on the ugly red streak on Neji's cheek. "What happened?" she whispered.

Neji avoided her eyes and just said it happened after the fight with Kabuto. She swallowed uneasily, not knowing that she had caused the older teen's injury. Neji had already healed it as best as he could, but the wound caused by the demonic chakra wasn't healing as expected.

"Kabuto is dead?" she asked, looking for confirmation of the Kyuubi's words.

"No," Shikamaru said, kneeling down next to the blonde in Neji's arms. "He used some replacement technique. You never fought the real him in the first place."

Oh. So she and the Kyuubi hadn't really killed him.

"Naru..." Shikamaru said softly. "What happened? What did Kabuto tell you?"

The girl closed her eyes as Kabuto's taunting words flashed through her mind. Kami, how much she hated that man. What had he actually achieved by telling her 'the truth' as he had called it? Had he really been trying to make her join him and his partner in their crazy goal of gaining world domination?

She would never turn her back on her precious people! _Not like Sasuke!_

_**You wouldn't? Even now that you know how they lied to you all those years? Pretending you were just one more unlucky orphan?**_

"Leave me alone!" she ordered the demon, trying to shut him out. The pain in her chest was making it hard to breathe. Kami, how she hated that ever-present, constricting feeling.

_**Can you really go back to a village full of liars and deceivers? What else didn't they tell you, human? Do they really deserve your loyalty?**_

"Shut up!" she forced out, gritting her teeth. She clenched her fists tightly, nails biting deeply into the palms of her hands.

_**Maybe you should really go with that Kabuto. At least, he was not telling you lies. And who knows, Uzumaki? Maybe your team mates knew, too. Lying, deceiving! Betrayers!**_

"SHUT UP!" Naruto screamed shrilly, so unlike her that the three males pinned her down to the ground.

She was panting with the effort to shut the Kyuubi out of her mind. "Sealing tag!" she gasped, in a new fight for control over her body.

Even though her eyes were closed, she could tell by the slight tingling behind her eyeballs that her pupils had once again turned to slits.

A hand slammed into her forehead and her head hit the ground hard, despite Neji's protecting arm around her shoulders. But she had never welcomed the feeling of the demon's chakra being forced out of her system more than in this moment. Naruto felt the Kyuubi's power leave her, receding into the confines of her mental prison.

Sadly, the swirl of confused anger and painful betrayal stayed behind. The fox's last words were burnt into her mind, as if he was repeating them all over again. Paranoid, her eyes snapped open and landed on her team mates.

Had they known? Was the Kyuubi right? Was everyone lying to her?

She tasted her own blood on her tongue as she bit her lip in order to keep herself from lashing out at them.

_They couldn't have known. Impossible, _the blonde tried to convince herself. But the paranoid suspicion was there, created by sly words and devious grins.

The blonde hugged herself, only then realizing that she was only wearing a cloak and nothing underneath. Thanks to her inner turmoil, she didn't even blush, as she considered the fact that her team mates had seen her naked.

As if reading her mind, Kiba threw her back pouch onto the earth next to her. There was a storage scroll with a set of spare clothes. Her team mates walked away a bit, allowing her some privacy. Naruto dressed quickly, but threw the cloak back on. She found her ANBU Weasel mask and was glad that she had taken it off before going berserk in Jinchuuriki mode. The mask would probably have been destroyed as well.

She walked over to the guys and Kiba handed his captain her katana and the rest of her equipment. Naruto was glad for the familiar shadow the hood cast over her face. The mask was covering her scowling face and burning eyes.

With a small gesture, Naruto allowed Kiba and Akamaru to take the lead.

No one said a word.

* * *

><p>After two straining days, ANBU Team Naruto finally arrived back in Konoha. But Neji wished they had never gotten here.<p>

He had watched his captain the whole time since the encounter with Kabuto. He had never seen the blonde so tense and jumpy. She hadn't spoken more than absolutely necessary, refused food and slept for barely two hours a night.

He didn't need his famous eyes to tell that something was utterly wrong. First, the breakdown three evenings ago, and then, the confrontation with Kabuto. They still had no clue what had passed between the two.

But the Hyuuga dreaded the moment they sat foot into Konoha. To him, Naruto was like a volcano right now. Something was seething deep inside her, waiting for the right moment to break free. And he could just tell that they wouldn't like to witness that eruption.

Naruto had taken off the chakra suppression seal only yesterday. From time to time, they heard her mumbling to herself, in a conversation they had no part in. Neji had the suspicion that it was the Kyuubi talking to her. Remembering how she had freaked out after she had regained consciousness two days ago, Neji was sure that the fox must be telling her things she didn't want to hear.

Since the removal of the sealing tag, Naruto had become somewhat calmer, as if she had withdrawn into herself. Or maybe she was just listening to the fox?

They reached the gates and were waved through immediately. Their masks and chakra signatures were well-known to all guards by now.

Their captain headed straight for the Hokage Tower. Unsure whether they were supposed to follow, the three guys shared a look and quietly trailed behind the blonde.

* * *

><p>Naruto meanwhile, fought an inner battle of staying in control. It had never felt so physically exhausting to hold back her inner demon. She almost laughed at that. The Kyuubi was certainly not her only inner demon.<p>

She dreaded the coming confrontation with Tsunade. She was still clinging to the hope that no one had known about her parents, desperately talking back to the Kyuubi's more convincing whispers.

_**You're in denial, Uzumaki.**_

She ignored him. She would have her answers soon.

Like usual, Naruto ignored the fact that there was a proper entrance to the tower somewhere and came to stop in front of the window. She felt the presence of her team mates behind her, but that, too, was ignored right now.

She had to knock since the window was closed, resisting the urge to punch in the glass.

Tsunade and Jiraiya set on the office chair, obviously making out. Naruto's eye twitched at seeing them. How could they be so happy?

Tsunade jumped off Jiraiya's lap and quickly came to open the window. The blonde jumped in, landing gracefully on her feet. She pushed back her hood and mask. Underneath was another mask. Of pain and disbelief, confusion and hopeful denial.

"Gaki?" Jiraiya questioned from behind the desk. "What's wrong? You look like shit."

Naruto swallowed against the lump in her throat. Now was the time to ask. To find out if Kabuto had been right. Did she really want to know? If she didn't ask and never found out, she could go on like before, pretending that they hadn't lied to her. Would it make any difference if she knew?

"Is... is it true?" she stammered and immediately hated her voice for sounding so pathetic. "Is it true... that the Yondaime was my father?"

Tsunade's hazel eyes widened in shock. "Who told you?" she asked without thinking.

Naruto felt the last spark of hope die out. They had known. The pain in her chest rose to a consuming black hole, making her whole body shake.

_**Told you so.**_

The blonde closed her eyes against the new onslaught of blind fury. She felt the demon cackling in delight, feeding off her pain and the new certainty that her precious people had betrayed her. Yet again.

Her fine ears registered the shocked gasps of her team mates, who were huddling by the window. Jiraiya got up, pushing back the chair. Someone was walking towards her, mumbling soothing words, but she didn't want to hear them

Naruto opened her eyes and took a step back from the people in the room.

"_Who told you?_ That is all you say now that I found out on my own?" she spat at her Hokage, not caring about the way she was talking to the leader of her village. As her Tsunade-baachan, the woman should have felt compelled to tell her about her parents.

"You have known all this time, but none of you ever told me! Why? WHY?" she blinked against the burning sensation in her eyes, knowing very well that her eyes were a bright crimson now.

Jiraiya took another slow step towards his godchild. "Naruto –" he began, but was cut off, as Naruto harshly pulled away from his touch.

"_You_," she snarled at her teacher, "I spent three years with you and _not once_ did you feel like telling me about my father?"

Her voice was icy, but she didn't even flinch at the fact that the demon inside her took pleasure in seeing the distressed expressions on her friends' faces. Or maybe it was her own joy.

"Even when you taught me the Rasengan... you didn't say anything. You said how much I reminded you of a former student... WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THE TRUTH?" the girl screamed the last part. "YOU LIED TO ME! ALL THOSE YEARS!"

Tsunade's eyes were glistening with tears, but Naruto didn't care. They should know how much it hurt to know that they had been betraying her.

"Naruto, please," Tsunade pleaded. "We only tried to protect you!"

"_Protect me?_ How did not knowing my parents protect me?" she yelled. "It would have made _all the difference_! No one would have dared to touch the Yondaime's daughter! No one would have dared to make the Yondaime's daughter's life miserable! _No one would have hurt the child of their hero!_"

Hot tears were running down her whiskered cheeks. She wiped at them furiously, but all thoughts on not looking weak were long forgotten.

Tsunade and Jiraiya cringed at her words. The Hokage was pressing a hand against her mouth, mumbling a mantra of "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" over and over again.

Naruto didn't want to hear their excuses. They had known. They had lied to her. They had betrayed her.

They had _hurt_ her. Because she had trusted them, considered them family. But you told family about their own parents. Right?

Logic was once again eluding her. The fact that neither Jiraiya nor Tsunade had been in Konoha during her childhood didn't matter to her. She was furious and disappointed of the Sandaime. It should have been his job to tell her. Or Kakashi's. Kakashi had always been around. Never telling her the truth.

"I trusted you," she whispered and crimson eyes met first hazel, then the dark ones of her sensei.

Then Naruto disappeared in a whirl of leaves.

* * *

><p>A stunned silence filled the Hokage's office. Until Tsunade began to cry softly. Jiraiya put his arms around her, gently stroking her hair.<p>

Kiba opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, not really sure of what to say, not really sure if he should say anything.

"Troublesome," muttered Shikamaru, lighting a cigarette, and taking a soothing drag.

Neji climbed through the open window and stood in front of the huge desk. He didn't want to disturb the Hokage, but he thought that the woman needed to know what had led to this situation.

Together with Kiba and Shikamaru, he reported first about their original mission, which had been the first failure in a serious of disastrous events. Tsunade and Jiraiya listened, their expressions grew grim when the boys came to Kabuto and Naruto's loss of control over the Kyuubi.

Together, they deduced what had transpired between the criminal and the blonde captain.

Some time during the report, Kakashi wandered into the office, his orange porn book in hand, greeting everyone with his famous eye-smile. But at hearing what was going on, his book vanished, as did his smile.

To say the grey-haired jounin felt sorry about the whole situation, would have been an understatement. Kakashi didn't dare to imagine how Naruto must be feeling right now; convinced of the fact that the knowledge about her parentage would have spared her so much pain during her childhood.

And who knew? Maybe the villagers wouldn't have hated her, had they known whose daughter they were tormenting. But the Sandaime Hokage had decided against revealing who she really was. They would never know for sure whether it would have changed Konoha's opinion of the Jinchuuriki.

"Where is she?" Kakashi asked, feeling the need to comfort his favourite student.

Shrugs were his answer, so he decided to go looking for the blonde ANBU in all her usual spots. Kakashi's search turned out fruitless. Naruto wasn't at home, nor on top of the Hokage mountain. She wasn't at the training grounds, nor at one of the restaurants.

Sad to have failed his student, Kakashi gave up his search and went home. Hoping that Naruto would seek him out if she wanted to talk to him.

* * *

><p>Naruto had wished for a place, in which she could be alone with herself and her inner demons. Unknowingly, her shunshin had taken her to the one place, no one would ever suggest looking for her.<p>

Her feet kicked a small pebble along the lonely streets of the deserted Uchiha district. Silence was all around her; a dead district, just right for her mood.

She hadn't been here since before Sasuke betrayed the village. And even then, she hadn't been here often. But today, it was the perfect place to hide from her precious people.

Her feet carried her through the streets, aimlessly walking from house to house. Eventually, she reached the small lake at the outskirts of the district. Trees surrounded the grassy shore. No waves moved the water. It lay as still as the rest of the abandoned area.

The blonde flopped down on the grass and was reminded of the last time she had been here. They had been seven years old, innocent and happy. Sasuke had not yet been robbed of his family and Naruto had not yet known about the Kyuubi living inside her.

They had been carefree children, almost like the rest of the students in the academy. They had been friends. And rivals.

Sasuke had been practising a fire jutsu his father had shown to him and Naruto had begged him to teach it to her. No one taught her cool jutsus like that. She had had no one, who would teach her anything willingly.

They had struggled together with their small arms and Sasuke had pushed her into the lake. Naruto snorted as she thought about how she had almost drowned, because she didn't know how to swim. Sasuke had rescued her, pulled her to the shore and then he had promised her to teach her how to swim.

It was one of her favourite memories, because it had been the first time that anyone had ever cared enough about her, to make a promise to her.

But Sasuke had never kept it. She still didn't know how to swim.

_**You're pathetic, Uzumaki. Stop thinking about the Uchiha!**_ Naruto's inner demon growled. She felt the deep hatred, when he said the name 'Uchiha'.

_Why? _She questioned, silently wondering what reason the demon had to hate Sasuke. _Don't you like him, because he tried to kill us?_

A bellowing laughter was her answer. _**Please, human, don't flatter yourself! I don't care what that brat did to you.**_

Naruto mentally hit herself for assuming that the demon would actually care about her. _Then why do you hate him so much?_

The Kyuubi's momentary amusement was gone and replaced by deadly seriousness. _**I hate them all! This arrogant clan!**_

A cold shiver crept up Naruto's spine at the intensity of the demon's hatred.

She was about to ask him why, not really expecting an answer, when she was surprised. The fox began talking of his own volition and told her about the day he had attacked Konoha, the day of her birth and the day he had been controlled by the Sharingan of one Uchiha Madara and the day he had been freed from his former vessel, Uzumaki Kushina, Naruto's mother.

Naruto listened, highly interested, and actually glad that the fox was guiding her away from her own painful thoughts.

_So there actually is someone you hate more than me, _Naruto joked cynically, after her tenant had finished his story.

_**Foolish human, don't mistake my words for affection. There is no one I hate more than Uchiha Madara and his damned eyes! But I still hate you for the fact that I am imprisoned in a brat like you!**_

_Thanks so much,_ Naruto snorted bitterly.

_**Still, you are not the worst vessel so far.**_

Naruto paused at his words. _Not the worst? Is that a compliment, Kyuubi? Don't let that Madara fellow hear you or he'll think you're going soft._

_**Insolent brat,**_ the fox growled, mentally clawing at his jailer.

* * *

><p>Naruto woke up to the sun blinding her through closed lids. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up. Her whole body was stiff from falling asleep on the grassy shore of the lake. Judging from the position of the sun, it was around noon.<p>

The blonde decided it was time to take a shower and she left in the direction of her apartment, hoping that no one was waiting for her. She was so not in the mood to see anyone.

Kami denied her her wishes, as a figure clad in a white cloak was standing in front of her door, obviously waiting for her. As the girl came closer, she saw that the person was wearing a mask, but none she had ever seen in ANBU before.

"The Council Elders request a meeting with you, Uzumaki-san," the masked person said as a greeting.

Naruto arched an eyebrow at him. "They request it, huh? When?"

"Two hours ago," the taller man answered and was gone in a whirl of leaves.

Naruto opened her door, not amused at being ordered around today. However, she knew better than to ignore a summons by the Elders. Better to get this over with as quickly as possible. She said good-bye to the idea of taking a shower and only took off her weapons; at least the visible ones.

Ten minutes later, the still dishevelled-looking Naruto stood in front of the Elder's room in the Hokage Tower. She was admitted immediately and led inside the room by a white-cloaked ANBU.

"Uzumaki-san," the only other woman, Utatane Koharu, greeted her. "Please take a seat."

Naruto hesitated for a second, but for once reason won over stubbornness, and she sat on the red sofa in front of the three Elders.

"It's a pleasure to see you, Uzumaki-san," Shimura Danzo said sweetly, while taking in her appearance with a distasteful snarl.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked bluntly, not caring if her behaviour might be considered rude.

"Straight to the point, I like that," Danzo said. Leaning back on the sofa, studying the blonde ANBU captain for a moment. "So we will be just as blunt with you, Uzumaki."

Naruto noticed the lack of the '-san' at the end of her name, and she knew that whatever was following, she wouldn't like it.

"We want you to do something for us. Consider it a mission."

Naruto narrowed her eyes. "I do missions for Konoha all the time."

"Yes, and as we hear it, you are quite successful with your team," Danzo continued. "But this mission is rather... unofficial."

The blonde scowled at him, but Danzo remained unfazed.

"Forget it," Naruto snarled, "I won't get caught up in your schemes. I am loyal to Konoha, so hand in this mission and I might do it. But I don't do 'unofficial'."

Danzo studied her levelly with his one unbandaged eye. "Your loyalty to Konoha is commendable, Uzumaki. But unfortunately, you don't have a choice in this."

"Then why ask?" Naruto spat, her carefully buried anger spiking once more.

"Oh, we didn't want to make this look like blackmail," Danzo answered sweetly and smirked, satisfied, at the girl's angry face.

"This is blackmail!" Naruto protested, but before she could say more, Danzo started talking again.

"This will be blackmail, after you hear what we will do, if you don't cooperate with us."

Naruto's scowl deepened, but she listened.

"We know what you and your ANBU team are doing, Uzumaki," Danzo declared. "And I cannot help but admit that I am indeed pleased with the fact that you are working so hard to eliminate the threat, that the Akatsuki is posing to our village. But we cannot allow you to continue your hunt."

Naruto wasn't surprised that the Elders had heard of her personal goal. But why forbid her going after the Akatsuki?

"We acknowledge your strength and talent as a ninja, Uzumaki." At seeing her eyebrows raise in surprise, he added, "This might surprise you, but you have long convinced us of your power and skills. The success rate of your missions speaks for itself and your fellow ANBU speak very highly of you."

_Huh, who would have thought?_ Naruto grinned internally, rather pleased with herself, despite everything else. On the outside, her face remained an expressionless mask.

"Since we acknowledge your strength and... for other specific reasons... you are the only one we think will be successful with this mission." The Elder stopped for a moment, then, "So, do you accept, Uzumaki?"

Naruto waited, but nothing else followed. Therefore she said, amused, "I think I missed the blackmailing part of your speech. Boosting my ego isn't enough to make me agree."

Danzo pursed his lips. "I didn't think so." He took a deep breath, as if whatever he was going to say next, cost him a lot of energy. "I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, Uzumaki."

Naruto marvelled at the old man's acting skills. His whole demeanour told her that he was very pleased with himself so far.

_Here it comes,_ Naruto thought bitterly, wondering what they were going to use to blackmail her.

"It has come to our attention that your control over the Kyuubi is waning." He didn't wait to hear Naruto's protests. "While we agree that this development is not to be underestimated in its danger, we still think that you, Uzumaki, would do everything in your power to prevent Konoha from coming to harm."

Naruto inwardly rolled her eyes at Danzo's long and complicated sentences. "Get to the point."

"As I said," he went on, ignoring the interruption, "_we_ don't think that you are posing a danger to Konoha. But others may think so."

"What do you mean?" the blonde asked suspiciously.

"Imagine what the rest of the council – especially the civilians – would say to your fading control over the Kyuubi. What do you think they would do?"

Naruto though about it. While the council held no real love for her, the demon brat, they didn't openly despise her. Still, they would be afraid to say the least, if they knew about the Kyuubi possibly breaking free. Naruto herself didn't think that the Kyuubi was actually breaking free. She was still in control. Only when her emotions were in turmoil or when she was really exhausted, did the seal weaken.

Sure, right now she was rather agitated, emotionally, but that didn't mean that she was endangering the village. Or did it?

But what would the council do, if they heard of her latest episode with Kabuto? Naruto didn't know how Tsunade had reacted, but she was certain that her team mates had reported the incident to the Hokage. If the woman had anything to say about it, she had yet to contact her. Well, Naruto hadn't been exactly available in the last past hours.

But the council... They were always looking out to protect the village and its inhabitants. But so was she. However, if they regarded her as a danger to Konoha, they would probably try to eliminate that danger. Since Naruto was sure that they wouldn't try to eliminate _her _– since still no one knew for sure what would happen to the Kyuubi, if she died – they would at least try to prevent anything that might provoke Naruto to lose control over the Kyuubi.

Seeing as she mostly used the Kyuubi's power in moments of great emotional turmoil or when her own chakra was depleted, that would mean that they had to keep her from fighting and using chakra. That in consequence, meant to missions. No missions meant staying in Konoha.

_Duh, shit._ She concluded.

"I see you worked it out, Uzumaki," Danzo applauded with a smirk. "If the council got wind of your using the Kyuubi too much, they would simply forbid you to go on missions and keep you under strict supervision inside the village's walls."

"So if I don't cooperate, you will tell the council about the Kyuubi and they will keep me from doing missions. Is that it?" she asked, outwardly nonchalantly, but inwardly growling at the Elders with bared, pointy teeth.

"That is part of it, yes," Danzo confirmed, but apparently, there was more. "We also cannot have you doing ANBU missions for a while."

"Why not?"

"Seeing how ANBU missions are exponentially more dangerous than regular missions, the possibility of you getting harmed is exponentially higher. But we don't want you to get harmed. We need you to do this mission for us."

"So until I agree to help you, I won't be able to take ANBU missions? How will you ensure that? As an ANBU I take missions directly from the Hokage. You have no influence in this area." She shrugged it off.

Danzo narrowed his one small eye at her. This girl was getting on his nerves. "You will simply tell Tsunade that you won't take ANBU missions for a while."

"And what if I don't?" the blonde asked coolly, being as annoyed as Danzo by now.

"We tell the council about your lack of control over the Kyuubi," Danzo said. Naruto had the feeling the man was repeating himself.

She pondered her options. Either not agreeing to their blackmailing her and they told the council about the Kyuubi, or she agreed and she did that mission. And then what? Whatever this mission was, it seemed to be important to them. And besides, there was no assurance that they wouldn't try to use their knowledge against her again in the future.

And the council was bound to find out about the incident with Kabuto eventually. It would probably take some time, but eventually, they always found out.

A provocative grin spread over her face. Should they tell the council, she didn't care. "I don't give a fuck about your mission. Go tattle to the council and let's see what they do!"

The third Elder, Mitokado Homura, jumped up from the sofa with unexpected agility, outrage on his face. "You will not talk to us like that, demon!"

Naruto slowly got to her feet. As old as the man was, he still stood taller than her. She lifted her eyes up to his. "Or what?" she threatened, eyes flashing red.

They didn't know Uzumaki Naruto very well, if they thought they could scare her into obedience.

"Ne, ne," Danzo made, trying to pacify the two. He gestured to the red sofa behind Naruto. "Please sit down again, Uzumaki-san."

Naruto only stared back at him defiantly.

"Very well," he conceded and stood in front of her. The victory was short-lived.

"I think there is a misunderstanding here, girl," Danzo said; sounding more dangerous than before. Naruto suddenly had the feeling that she had been seriously underestimating the man.

"You _will _help us, sooner or later," he told her. "I'd prefer, if you just agree."

"I already told you I don't care about the council's decision," she said, sounding final. She was in mid-turn, when Danzo's next words made her stop dead.

"You don't seem to care much about your own fate, but maybe you care about the fate of your friends."

That got her attention. "What are you saying?" she growled lowly, not turning back to the three Elders.

"I am saying that while we might not have an influence on _your _missions, we still have a say in the regular missions. And wouldn't it be a pity, if your precious friends suddenly found themselves doing the most dangerous S-class missions available?"

Naruto heard the satisfaction in his voice. "Leave my friends out of this!" she snarled, trembling with fury.

"It's either do this for us, or see your friends getting injured. You choose, girl."

Naruto whirled around, moving too fast for their aged eyes to see. Her hand closed around Danzo's throat, forcing him to stand on his tiptoes. Naruto enjoyed the shortest moment of actual fear in his eyes.

Naruto was trying to think fast. With all that had happened in the last few days, it was hard to form some coherent ideas. The Elder's blackmailing her was a serious matter. But so were their threats. Did she have the option to go tell Tsunade about their approaching her? But just the idea of once again putting her trust in the Hokage, was making Naruto feel uneasy.

Tsunade and she were having some issues to sort out, but right now, Naruto didn't like the idea to ask the older woman for help one bit. Relying on her now felt wrong and the trust between them was broken.

And what if Naruto just went to the rest of the council and told them about the whole situation? But what proof did she have? No one would ever believe her over the word of the Elders. And she didn't even know what they wanted her to do. She couldn't actually tell on them and say something like 'The mean Elders want to blackmail me, but I really don't know what evil plan they have!'.

Naruto almost sweat-dropped at her inner ramblings. The Elders' mission could be something totally harmless for all she knew. And without proof there really wasn't anything she could do. It was her word against theirs, if she attempted to arrest them or anything as rash.

So deep down, Naruto knew they had her. There was not much she valued more than her friends' safety.

They knew Uzumaki Naruto very well, if they thought they could scare her into obedience by threatening her precious people.

She was trembling with fury and the by now familiar feeling behind her eyes told her they had changed from blue to red once again.

The knowing grin on Danzo's face made her sick.

"Look at that, wouldn't the council love to see you like that," he provoked her further.

But Naruto was not done yet. She knew it was unlikely, but if she just took all the S-class missions on her own, then they couldn't give them to her friends. She would just persuade Tsunade that her friends weren't assigned those missions and everything would be fine.

She wouldn't let them blackmail her.

She forced her eyes back to blue and turned to leave.

"You might think you have a choice, Uzumaki. But you don't." Danzo's words echoed behind her as she slammed the door shut.

Two minutes later, she was knocking on the door to the Hokage's office. Schooling her face into an expressionless mask, she entered.

Relief at seeing Naruto, washed over the Hokage's face. "Naruto!" she exclaimed softly, so happy to see the girl she considered her daughter.

"Hokage-sama," Naruto greeted, getting down on one knee, all business.

Tsunade immediately sensed that the girl hadn't come to talk about yesterday.

"I came to let you know that I want to take a break from ANBU for some time," she said, no emotion swinging in her words.

"Um... sure, Naruto." Tsunade would grant Naruto practically everything right now. If that meant that the girl would forgive her. "Can I ask why?"

"No," the other said, still looking at the floor.

"Um... okay. Well, I think it's a good idea that you're taking some downtime," the older woman said, trying to make polite conversation.

"I don't intend to take a break. I ask you to assign me to all the regular S-class missions."

"What!" Tsunade exclaimed. "But that's more than ten missions a day! And long-term ones at that! Apart from it being impossible, why would you want to do that, Naruto? Why not keep doing ANBU missions then?"

Shit, Naruto hadn't thought that there were so many S-class missions. Maybe she hadn't thought this one through completely.

Not answering to Tsunade's questions, she just said, "Then I'll just take the most dangerous ones. Starting today."

Tsunade shook her head in bafflement. "Today? Naruto, from the looks of it, you haven't even showered after your last mission. I won't give you another mission today."

Naruto then looked up at her, pleading her silently with hurting eyes.

Tsunade sighed, defeated. "All S-class missions for today have been assigned already. Take a shower, eat and sleep, and come back tomorrow morning to the Mission Assignment Office."

Naruto nodded and got up to leave.

Tsunade's voice held her back. "Naruto... what's going on?"

"Nothing I cannot take care of myself." With that, she left. Through the door.

* * *

><p><strong>Somewhere in a dark cave, far away from Konoha:<strong>

"How did it go?" the masked man asked, looking down from his position on the rock on the man to his feet.

"The reaction was as expected. The girl rejected the offer to join us and I told her about her parents," the hooded man to his feet explained.

"She really didn't know yet?" the masked asked doubtfully.

"No. But finding out the truth like this will certainly influence her."

"Very well." The masked man jumped down from his rock. "I bet this will drive a wedge between her and her village."

"I still don't think she will join us freely," the hooded man got up to his feet, standing a tad taller than the other.

"You are young, you don't know what suspicion and betrayal can do to a person's heart. One can only endure so much."

"Still, I'm afraid we are underestimating the enigma that is Uzumaki Naruto."

The hooded man glanced down, finding the sole red eye behind the orange mask.

* * *

><p><em><strong>To be continued...<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Whoa, that was dark and intense and I think rather depressive... I guess a mixture of feeling pretty melancholic for no real reason and a bit of too much wine, made this chapter more angsty and intense than I had anticipated. I hope you still like it!<strong>

**Oh, and the Kyuubi's chakra destroyed Naruto's clothes after the Kyuubi-fication. I always wondered how the demon was able to restore the fabric... It doesn't make sense to me at all! And also her team mates needed to see the scar on her chest! I never mention anything without a reason, keep that in mind, dear readers! ;)**

**Part 2 of Chapter 15 will be up next week!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**xXHaneliXx**


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